


Your Mission, Should You Could Choose to Accept It. . .

by BeccaAnne814



Series: Bucky Barnes x Reader Series [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Blood, Broken Bones, Death, F/M, Fluff, PG-13 sexual situations, Violence, cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-12-01 02:14:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 26,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11476476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeccaAnne814/pseuds/BeccaAnne814
Summary: You are an agent who has been training for a specific mission for years.  Your boss finally informs you that Bucky is heading back to the States, so your mission is about to begin.





	1. Chapter 1

Your day started out exactly the same way every other day had this year; you woke up at 0500 hours and hit the gym.  After spending a good half hour with the punching bags, you moved on to strength training with the various free weights the facility had to offer.  You always finished your two hour workout with some light Yoga and stretching.

As you rolled up your Yoga mat, you noticed a reflection in the full-length mirror in front of you.  Your boss had just walked through the door.  You met his gaze in the mirror with a questioning look.

"It's time," he said.

"Finally," you replied.  

"Are you sure you are ready for this, Agent (Y/L/N)?" he questioned.

"I've been waiting for this day for three years, sir.  What's the timeframe?"

"My sources tell me that Captain Rogers and Sargent Barnes are on a plane from Wakanda as we speak," he informed you as he glanced down quickly at his watch.  "We expect them in New York around 1000 hours."

"New York?  Are they heading back to Brooklyn, sir?" you asked as you and your boss left the gym heading for the elevators.

"Negative, they will be landing in upstate New York. . . ."  he began.

"Wait, did Stark okay this?" you interrupted as you entered the elevator pushing the button for your floor.

"Captain Rogers can be pretty persuasive when he needs to be," he explained.  "My Intel suggests that King T'Challa's psychologists have freed his mind from being controlled using the trigger words.  As for the rest, we'll just have to wait and see.  Stark has agreed to allow him to stay at the upstate compound, upon the condition that he continues to see a psychologist.  He is still a long way off from forgiving him, but he doesn't seem to want him dead anymore."

"When do we leave?" you inquired as you exited the elevator, holding the door open to finish your conversation.

"Wheels up in two hours.  All of the equipment is being loaded onto the plane now, so you will need to pack up your personal belongings.  Someone will be by in an hour to transfer them to the plane.  I'll meet you on the tarmac at 0900 hours."

With that, your boss pressed the button to close the doors as you continued down the hall to your room.  You struggled to contain your excitement in order to mentally prepare yourself for the mission at hand.

 

Less than two hours later, you were walking across the tarmac to meet your boss, who was waiting for you by the cargo ramp of the jet.  You had opted not to wear the tactical gear you wore while training.  Instead, you had decided on black slacks, a black jacket over a dark grey button down shirt, with your favorite pair of black half boots.  Your hair was twisted up into a bun at the nape of your neck.  All you carried with you was your briefcase.  The final pallets containing your packed personal belongings were being loaded onto the jet.

"I was able to obtain a copy of the final specs you will need for this mission," your boss stated as he handed you a manila folder.  

"Thank you, sir.  I will look this over during our flight to the compound," you told him as the two of you boarded the plane and buckled yourselves into your seats.

Five minutes later, the plane began to ascend into the air.  You knew you it would be a long time before you ever made it back to DC again.

 

The plane touched down at Stark's upstate compound a little over an hour later.  You placed the folder in your briefcase as you followed your boss down the ramp.  The compound was impressive to see in person, but you weren't given an opportunity to do more than get a glimpse of the exterior before you were inside and taking an elevator to the conference room.

As you exited the elevator and walked through the corridor, you could see through the glass walls that most of the Avengers were present and tension hung thick in the air as Stark and Barnes faced each other for the first time since the battle in Siberia a little over a year ago.

Starks eyes darted to your boss as soon as he crossed the threshold.

"Coulson, you're right on time to join party," Stark quipped, raising an eyebrow sarcastically.

"Agent (Y/L/N) and I had hoped to time our arrival with that of Captain Rogers.  I'm glad to see we made it before any blood was shed," Coulson remarked, taking in the defensive postures of those present in the room.

"Things are fine here, Director Coulson," Steve reassured Phil.  "We were just formally introducing Bucky to everyone."

Coulson extended his hand to Bucky, who begrudgingly took it for a quick shake.

"Sargent Barnes, I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to finally meet you.  Captain Rogers might have told you that I am a huge fan of the Howling Commandos," Coulson declared, allowing a little bit of his inner fangirl to poke through.

"Thank you," Bucky mumbled, clearly uncomfortable being the center of attention.

"Stark, I would like to introduce you Agent (Y/N) (Y/L/N).  She is the one that I was telling you about earlier tod. . ." Coulson began as Stark's attention focused on you for the first time since you entered the room.

"You're joking, right, Coulson!"  Stark cried out, interrupting Coulson's introduction.  "You can't expect her to actually!. . .  She won't last a minute!. . . You realize you are offering a lamb to the slaughter!"  Stark was so exasperated, he was struggling to put words together to express his outrage.

As Stark and Coulson argued over your ability to do your job, the other Avengers in the room tried to deflate the situation.  You noticed, however, that Bucky was using the altercation to quietly slip from the conference unnoticed by everyone but you.  You carefully started inching backward until you were certain that no one had noticed your departure.  

Bucky was halfway down the hall, his head hanging dejectedly when you called out to him.

"Sargent Barnes, wait!"

Bucky slowly turned toward you, wariness evident in both his stance and his eyes.

After witnessing the awkward handshake between him and Director Coulson, you decided not to make him any more uncomfortable than he already was.  

"Sargent Barnes, I apologize for the scene back there, it was extremely unprofessional," you stated with a slightly embarrassed look on your face.

"Do you know what Stark was talking about?  Why would you be in any danger from me?" Bucky questioned, his brows knitting together in confusion.

"Well, due to the circumstances between you and Mr. Stark, Director Coulson decided that the less interaction you two had, the better.  I've been assigned to maintain and repair your arm," you explained as Bucky's eyes widened in disbelief.


	2. Chapter 2

"I assure you, Sargent Barnes, that I am more than capable of ensuring your arm is operating at peak performance," you explained.  "I have degrees in both Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from MIT, so other than Tony Stark, I am the most qualified person for this job."

"It's not that," Bucky muttered, "I just don't think you realize what you've gotten yourself into."

"I've read your file, Sargent, I am completely aware of who you are and what you suffered through for the past 70 years.  I realize that I am a complete stranger, and this is an awkward situation already.  I just need you to trust me; trust that I know what I'm doing and that I want to help you."

Bucky continued to look at you as though you were either crazy or stupid, you couldn't decide which.  He wasn't walking away from you though; you took that as a good sign.  You opened your briefcase and withdrew a manila folder.

"I think it's only fair that since I know your life history, that you should know mine since we are going to be spending a lot of time together," you said as you handed him the folder.  "This is my personnel folder from S.H.I.E.L.D."

Bucky took the folder from you and flipped it open to reveal your graduation photo from the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy.  

"I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?" Bucky asked quietly.

"I'm afraid not, Sargent.  This decision was handed down from the top.  It was also one of Stark's stipulations for allowing you to stay at the facility.  The flight crew is unloading the equipment for my lab now, but I doubt I will have everything set up until tomorrow.  I would like you to stop by sometime tomorrow. . ."

"My arm is fine, it doesn't need any repairs right now.  Why would I need to go to your lab?" Bucky interrupted.

"I've studied the specs for your old arm, but the arm King T'Challa's scientists created for you is slightly different.  I've just read the specs for this arm, but I really need to examine it to make myself familiar with the workings," you explained.  "I promise it won't take long, a couple of hours, tops.  I should have everything set up and ready about this time tomorrow."

Bucky looked at you for a moment, and then looked back down at your file.  He flipped through a few pages before finally meeting your eyes again.

"I guess I have no reason not trust you, Agent (Y/L/N).  Let's hope for your sake, you don't give me a reason not to," Bucky stated as he turned and continued walking down the hallway.

You let out the breath that you were unaware you had been holding.  At that moment, you felt that you were no longer alone in the hallway.  You turned around and found Agent Romanoff leaning against one of the doorjambs eyeing you suspiciously.  

"Stark and Coulson have finished their argument; it looks like you will be staying.  I volunteered to show you around.  I'm Natasha, by the way," the beautiful red-head offered as she held out a hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Agent Romanoff, I'm Agent (Y/N) (Y/L/N)," you said as you took the other woman's hand in reassuringly firm handshake.

"You don't smile much, do you, Agent (Y/L/N)?" Natasha inquired with a smirk on her face.

"No offense, Agent Romanoff, but I'm not here to make friends.  I have a job to do and I don't plan on giving anyone a reason to jeopardize this opportunity for me," you remarked nonchalantly.

"Fair enough," Natasha decided.  "Follow me.  I figured since you're all about keeping things professional, you'll want to see your workspace first." Natasha began walking the opposite way down the hallway toward the elevators.

As the two of you were walking Natasha began explaining the layout of the facility. "This floor is where the living quarters are, as well as the conference room, common room, and kitchen.  The kitchen is used by everyone, so if you have anything you want to keep for yourself, I suggest you write your name on it.  I will warn you, when Thor is around, everything is fair game to him.  He hasn't quite grasped the concept of 'off-limits' items."

"Is Thor around much?" you asked as you reached the elevators.  

Natasha pressed the down button and quickly turned around on her heel with a smile plastered on her face.  "Ooooh, do I detect a crack in the Ice Queen?"

You let out an exasperated breath as the elevator doors opened and you and Natasha got in. "I will admit that he is. . . attractive. . . but honestly, I would rather get my hands on that hammer."

"You and Jane would get along splendidly," Natasha huffed as she pushed the button for the bottom floor.

The elevator came to a stop and you allowed Natasha to exit first, leading the way as she continued her tour of the facility.

"This floor is where you will find the training facility, the garage, Tony and Bruce's lab, as well as Dr. Cho's medical bay.  Tony has cleared out an old lounge that has sat untouched since his father used this place," Natasha gestured toward a door across the hall from Dr. Cho.  

You opened the door to find that the flight crew had already unloaded all of your lab equipment and supplies.  

"Thank you for showing me around.  If you don't mind, I would like to get all of this set up so I can begin work tomorrow," you said as you turned around to face Natasha.

"No problem," Natasha replied.  "When you're done here, just ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. to show you the way to your room."

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.?" you questioned.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y. is Tony's AI.  Just ask her a question and she'll answer it for you," Natasha explained.  "F.R.I.D.A.Y., can you tell me where Sam is right now?" Natasha asked into thin air.

"Agent Romanoff, Mr. Wilson is currently in the kitchen.  Would you like me to tell him that you are looking for him?" F.R.I.D.A.Y. responded in an Irish accent.

"No thanks," Natasha answered back.

"Got it, thanks," you told Natasha as she walked out, shutting the door behind her.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., could you play some music for me while I unpack," you cautiously asked the ceiling.

"Yes, Agent (Y/L/N), what would you like to listen to?" the AI responded immediately.

"How about (Y/F/M)," you answered back as your favorite song began to play.

You spent the rest of the morning, afternoon, and evening getting all of your equipment unpacked and ready to go for the next day, stopping only to eat the protein bar you kept in your briefcase.  By the time you finished, it was close to midnight.  You didn't bother unpacking your personal belongings, just digging for your toothbrush and some pajamas before you passed out on the unmade bed.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning you awoke at your normal time, even though you hadn't set an alarm. Since you were awake, you decided to unpack your room before your scheduled appointment with Bucky. Once your room was set up to your satisfaction, you made your way to the kitchen, hoping to find a box of Raisin Bran. 

As you approached the kitchen, you heard movement, but whoever was there was leaning down looking into the refrigerator, the door blocking them from view. 

You cleared your throat and offered a casual "Good morning" to whomever was behind the door.

Sam Wilson poked his head around the door with a huge grin on his face. "Well, good morning to you, too. I was wondering when you were finally going to grace us with your beautiful presence."

You kept the indifferent expression on your face that you had worn since your arrival at the facility and responded, "I'm sorry that I've seemed anti-social, I've just been busy unpacking."

"That's alright. You keep making up excuses. I know that you're just star struck by all of our handsome mugs," Sam quipped, giving you a flirtatious wink. "I'm just messing around, I figure you must be hungry, what can I help you find?"

"I was hoping that there would be a box of Raisin Bran," you said.

"You're in luck, that's Wanda's favorite too, and I know she doesn't mind sharing," Sam replied as he reached into the pantry, grabbing the box of cereal and handing it to you. "Bowls are in the cabinet beside the fridge, and silverware is in the drawer right underneath."

"Thank you, Mr. Wilson," you replied. "How exactly does grocery shopping work around here?" You asked as you reached for a bowl from the cabinet. You filled your bowl with cereal making sure to place the box back in the pantry where Sam had gotten it. Opening the fridge, you took out the carton of milk while Sam answered your question.

"Well, this is Tony Stark's place, so you know he has to make everything techified," Sam said with a grin. "He installed one of those smart refrigerators, so all you have to do is download the app on your phone and create your shopping list. He has one of his assistants do the shopping every Friday, so make sure you have your list updated before then," Sam explained as you finished pouring the milk on your cereal and placing the carton back into the fridge.

"Easy enough, thanks for your help. I'm heading to the lab to finish getting ready," you said grabbing a spoon and carrying your bowl of cereal with you to the elevators.

 

At precisely 1000 hours, you heard a light knock on the door of your lab.

"Come in," you called, turning to face the door.

Bucky opened the door, stopping just inside the room. His gaze traveled around the room, confusion apparent in his features.

You had opted to make this environment as friendly and welcoming as possible. Dark mahogany bookshelves lined two sides of the room full of books, Blu-Rays, and other little knickknacks you had collected over the years. One side of the room was taken up with the remnants of the former lounge which was basically a small kitchenette. The remaining wall was taken up mostly by a 60" flat-screen Smart TV with your degrees from MIT and your graduation photos filling up the space around the television. In the center of the room sat an overstuffed recliner.

"I thought this was supposed to be your lab," Bucky said, clearly thinking he had come to wrong room.

"It is, Sargent Barnes," you explained. "I know your previous experiences in labs haven't been positive ones, so I decided to take a different approach. Once you start training and going on missions with the rest of the team, your arm will suffer damage. You are more than likely going to be spending a good deal of time in here, so I thought you might as well be comfortable. I also thought that this would be a great opportunity for you to get caught up on some of the pop culture you've missed out on the past few decades. This is my personal collection of books and movies, but if there is anything else you would like, I have a Netflix account and an e-reader for you to download books."

"You want me to watch movies while you fix my arm?" Bucky asked.

"Please, take a seat and get comfortable. I realize that this may seem odd, but I think you'll find that this will be a beneficial use of your time," you said as you gestured toward the recliner.

Bucky reluctantly moved from the doorway and sat stiffly in the chair looking at you like he was waiting for you to let him in on the joke.

"I spent most of the day yesterday trying to decide what you should watch first. I have so many favorites, but I thought we should start with a classic. Have you ever heard of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid?" you asked causing Bucky to shake his head no before you went to the bookcase on the far left wall.

"I think you'll like it," you told him. 

You took the movie to the entertainment center and placed it in the Blu-Ray slot. Pressing play you walked over to the small refrigerator and grabbed a couple of items. 

"I wasn't sure what kind of candy you preferred, so I went with the classic Hershey Bar," you said as you handed Bucky the candy and a bottle of water.

Bucky took the candy and the water, looking up at you again with his brows drawn together in confusion. "Why are you giving me candy?"

"Traditionally, doctors give their most reluctant patients candy to help them associate the visit with a positive experience. I didn't figure you for the lollipop kind of guy, so I went with chocolate," you explained as you prepared your equipment to examine Bucky's arm. "The movie is only about two hours long, I promise I'll be done with my initial analysis of your new arm by the time it's over."

Bucky let out a huff and turned back toward the TV as the opening credits finished up. Soon, he was completely engrossed in the story, eating his chocolate and seeming to you were even there taking apart the metal plates of his arm to inspect the complex wiring system.

Bucky barely noticed you, but that couldn't be said of you. You noticed everything about him; the way he constantly ran his right hand through his hair, the small creases around his eyes that appeared when he smiled, the stubble along his jaw, and the way he smelled. You weren't sure if it was his soap or cologne, but whatever that scent was, it was driving you crazy! It was a struggle to concentrate on the task at hand, but somehow you managed to focus.

True to your word, you finished your analysis just in time to sit back and watch the ending of the film. Once the end credits started rolling, Bucky looked down at his arm, flexing his elbow and curling his fingers to make sure everything was working properly.

"So, what did you think?" you asked as you got up to put the movie back into its case before walking back to the bookshelf to place it in its spot.

"It was alright," Bucky downplayed, trying to act as though he hadn't gotten lost in the storyline. "I will admit that this was nothing like I had imagined, Agent (Y/L/N)."

"As I said yesterday, Sargent Barnes, we need to work on building some trust. Like it or not, you and I are going to be a team for the foreseeable future. We might as well learn to get along with one another," you told him as he rose from the recliner. "I do appreciate you making time today to let me examine your arm." 

"I didn't exactly have a full schedule of activities planned," Bucky replied sarcastically.

"I doubt Captain Rogers is going to let that continue for more than a few days. Once you've gotten settled in, I expect he'll be keeping you quite busy training with the rest of the team," you surmised as you walked Bucky to the door. "Please keep in mind that I am here strictly to maintain your arm, so if there are any problems whatsoever, feel free to let me know, day or night."

"Thank you, Agent (Y/L/N), I'll keep that in mind," Bucky replied walking out of the lab toward the elevators.

You closed the door behind him, turning to lean against it. The last two hours had truly tested your resolve. That man was too sexy for his own good! And to top it all off, he had absolutely no idea the effect he had on women. Sure, he used to be quite the lady's man in the 40's, but it seemed as though he'd locked that side of himself away, completely oblivious to the fact that he would always be the kind of man to make a woman look twice.

 

Bucky managed to make it to the elevator before he, too had to lean against a solid surface. He knew he shouldn't be thinking of Agent (Y/L/N) like this, she was only here to fix that damn arm. But he couldn't deny that her presence bothered him on a primal level. It took all of his willpower to sit still in that chair while she poked and prodded his arm. The smell of her shampoo clouded his senses every time she moved her head. It was everything he could do not to bury his nose in her hair and fully breathe in that intoxicating scent. And that was just her hair! He wouldn't allow himself to think about her eyes, or the way she bit her bottom lip in concentration, or the elegant curve of her neck, or the rest of her perfect body and that was currently making him feel things he hadn't felt in years. 

He was secretly glad that she kept things strictly professional and never cracked a smile. He wasn't sure what he was libel to do if she actually smiled at him. Most likely, he would make a complete fool of himself. Why couldn't S.H.I.E.L.D. have found someone less attractive to assign to him?


	4. Chapter 4

Just as you had predicted, Steve had Bucky in the training room by the end of the week.  Steve kept the training sessions light, just him and Bucky.  You figured after everything the two of them had been through, they needed some time to figure out who they were now, and how that would affect their friendship going forward.  The time they had spent together since Bucky escaped Hydra had been focused on keeping Bucky safe and fighting everyone, so they really hadn't had a lot of time, just the two of them.  

Steve was a lot like you in terms of training; he loved to get up early.  This made things a bit difficult for you.  You weren't ready to reveal all of your secrets to the team just yet, so this meant that you had to get up at 0300 in order to get your workout finished before Steve and Bucky came in at 0500.  

You also had to deal with Stark's Big Brother tendencies; he had cameras in just about every area of the facility.  It took you a little time to hack into the system and disrupt the video feed, but Stark wasn't used to dealing with someone equally as smart as himself.  You spent the first week allowing F.R.I.D.A.Y. to record some boring workout sessions; typical workouts that Stark would expect from a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who spent most of her time in a lab.  You then created a code within his system that would play those workouts in random sequences.  You truly doubted that he would take the time to look too deeply into your routine, but you wanted to be prepared, just in case.  

During this time, you rarely saw Bucky.  Steve was going pretty easy on him, so there was almost no damage to his arm during the training sessions.  Bucky was never outright rude to you, but he did tend to go out of his way to avoid you.  It wasn't until Steve starting bringing in other members of the team to spar with him and Bucky that you starting having to do minor repairs to his arm.   The point of the training sessions was to familiarize the team with one another's moves and to learn how to use that knowledge to make the team a stronger fighting unit.  They didn't deliberately try to cause one another arm.  

Stark apparently did not believe in that philosophy.  Every time he was in the training facility at the same time as Bucky, he found a reason to "misfire" his repulsors, damaging Bucky's arm.  This meant that Bucky was spending a lot more time in your lab, which was nice because it gave you something to do, but at the same time, it was driving you crazy being so close to him and not really being able to talk to him.  You did, however, use the time to help him get caught up on the greatest movies and novels.

 

You tried to maintain your distance from the rest of the team, but there were some, like Sam and Steve who were just too friendly for their own good and wanted everyone to get along.  You had grown used to dealing with them, so it came as a complete shock when you walked into your room after fixing Bucky's arm for the fourth time that week and found Natasha stretched out on your bed reading one of your books.

"Can I help you?" you asked, shutting the door behind you.

"That depends," she replied as she closed the book and placed it back on your nightstand.  "You've been here a month now, and we really haven't had a conversation that's lasted more than two minutes since the first day you were here."

"If you recall, I informed you that day that I wasn't here to make friends," you reminded her as you walked to the desk and pulled out the chair to sit down.  "I have a job to do, and apparently Stark thinks it's his responsibility to ensure that I stay busy."

"I'll admit that Stark has his issues, but he'd eventually come around. . . if you would make more of an effort to socialize with the rest of us," Nat explained as she sat up on the bed, cocking one eyebrow for emphasis.

"Look, Agent Romanoff, I appreciate the gesture you're trying to make here, but right now, I'm exhausted and I really just want to take a nap.  Stark's last 'accident' took me four hours to repair.  I know he's doing it on purpose, I just can't figure out his motive," you told Nat running your hands through your hair in frustration.  "Do you think he just wants to overwork me, or do you think he's trying. . ." you stopped in mid-sentence, not sure if it was wise to voice your misgivings to one of the best spies in the world.  You missed having a friend, and contrary to what you had told her earlier, you wouldn't mind having someone here that you could talk to.

"Trying to do what?" Nat asked, a curious spark lighting up her eyes.  "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I don't know, what do you think?"  you almost whispered, learning forward in your chair.  You hoped Natasha would voice the same suspicions you had about Stark.  Hearing someone else speak the words out loud would validate the thoughts you were having, thoughts that you had tried to tell yourself were crazy delusions from a very sleep-deprived mind.

"Honestly," the red-head said with a frown etched into her beautiful features, "I think he's trying to push Bucky into lashing out. . ."  She hesitated for a moment, looking at you to judge your reaction before continuing, "and I think he's hoping he'll lose his cool while he's alone with you in your lab."  

You let out a defeated breath.  "I've been thinking the exact same thing.  I had hoped that I was overreacting and letting my imagination get the better of me, but hearing you say the same thing really makes me think that's exactly what's he up to," you said, leaning back in your chair.

"How is Bucky acting when he's with you?" Nat asked.

"He seems fine, almost resolved to the fact that this is what his life is going to be like.  He comes in and either picks out a movie or grabs a book while I work.  He barely says a word to me unless he has to.  I haven't noticed anything different about him.  If that truly is Stark's plan, it's not working," you said, getting up to pace the floor in front of the bed.

"That's good," Natasha said with a slight nod.  "Steve was worried. . ."

"Steve shares your theory?" you asked, interrupting her.

"That's why I'm here," Nat explained.  "Steve came to me, and we agreed that we suspected Stark was trying to get Bucky to hurt you, even if, by accident, so that he would have an excuse to make him leave the facility."

"Okay, does Bucky agree with you two?" you asked, pausing to look down at Nat.

"Steve and I thought we should talk to you before we said anything to Bucky.  We didn't want to make him paranoid in case he decided that he couldn't be trusted to be alone with you in the lab,"  she said as she scooted back on the bed to make room for you to sit.

You sat on the end of the bed facing Nat before asking, "What do you think we should do?"

"I really think you need to change your stance on making friends here," she said cocking one eyebrow up.

"What good will that do?" you asked.

"Right now, you're not really real to Tony," Nat began explaining.  "He sees you as a means to an end.  We need to make him see you as a person.  Steve and I think that once he gets to know you, he'll be less likely to try to put you in harm's way."

"As much as I hate to admit it," you agreed reluctantly, "I think you may have a point.  What's your plan?"

"Well, we're having a movie night tonight, so I think you should leave your little cave here and come join us," Nat said as she started to get up from the bed.  "Tony was able to score a copy of the new Star Wars movie. . ."

"You don't mean Episode VIII," you interrupted, unable to keep the excitement out of your voice as Nat nodded her head affirmatively.  "It's not even in theaters for another month, how did he manage that?  Never mind, he's Tony Stark.  This is great, I just got Bucky caught up with Episode VII today while I fixed his arm."

"We're all meeting in the common room around 5:30," Nat said as she walked to your door.  

"Okay, I'll be there," you told her closing the door behind her.

 

Everyone was completely surprised to see you walk into the common room that evening, but they quickly got over it and welcomed you, trying to make you feel as comfortable as possible.  Sam insisted that you sit next to him on the couch, trying hard to charm you into a smile.  You thought you noticed Bucky tense up during the exchange, but you convinced yourself that it was just wishful thinking.

The movie was amazing; everything you'd come to expect from this new round of movies.  Once the movie was over, everyone began cleaning up the empty popcorn bowls and beer bottles and moving to make their way back to their rooms.  Tony, however, had other plans.  Confirming all of your suspicions, he began to try to taunt Bucky into losing his temper.

"That was a great movie, but I was thinking that we should binge watch the Terminator movies on Saturday," Tony said, slurring his words a bit as he turned around to face Bucky.  "You know what, I think that's what I'm going to start calling you.  You're both cold, unfeeling killing machines, completely focused on completing your mission, regardless of the innocent casualties left in your wake.  And the parallel with the metal arms?  Not exactly a coincidence.  You know, I think they might have actually based that movie on you."

After that speech, you completely lost it.  To hell with making Stark try to like you, you weren't about to stand there and let him continue his abuse.

"You know Stark, the same could be said of you," you fired back at Tony, causing him to look at you in bewilderment.  "How often have you thought of the innocent lives that were lost due to your arrogance?"

Steve attempted to step in at this point.  "(Y/N)," he began, but you weren't anywhere near finished speaking.  You simply held up a finger in Steve's general direction to let him know that you had heard him, but he needed to shut up and let you get this off of your chest.

"What exactly is that supposed to mean. . ." Stark began before you steamrolled right over top of him.

"Let's just take a little trip down memory lane, shall we?" you asked, getting angrier by the minute.  "Maybe you've forgotten why you're even Iron Man in the first place.  Wasn't it because the black market arms dealers your company was selling munitions to, decided to get rid of the middleman and just make you build their arsenal personally?  How many U.S. soldiers lost their lives then?"

Stark's face began to grow red in anger, but you just kept going.

"Let's not forget that you were the one that designed the new turbines for the Project Insight Helicarriers.  You were playing right into Hydra's hands and if it weren't for Cap, Falcon, and Agent Hill, we would all be dead right now."

"Now wait just a minute, sweetheart. . . " Stark again tried to interrupt you.

"Don't you 'sweetheart' me.  I'm not one of your whores you can just ignore when you've gotten bored with them," you replied, causing everyone in the room to take an audible gasp.  "I'm nowhere near finished with you."  At this point, you were on a roll and nothing and no one was going to stop you from finally saying what everyone else was thinking.

"As if that wasn't enough, you had to go and create a homicidal AI that tried to destroy the world!  Thousands of innocent people died because of Ultron and you walk around like it's no big deal.  You keep screwing up and expecting the world to give you a pass because you're Tony Stark."

"You're really starting to piss me off," Tony interjected.  He looked like he was ready to kill you himself at this point, but you weren't finished making your point.

"What about Wanda and Pietro?" you asked, not really wanting an answer.  "Again, it was black market arms deals that caused her and her brother to lose their family.  I don't know how she stands being in the same room as you."

"I'm done listening to you, it's your turn to listen!" Stark yelled, getting right up in your face.  "I had no idea that those arms deals were going on, I was being lied to. . ."

That was exactly what you had hoped he was going to say.  He had just put the final nail in his own coffin.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" you asked.  "You had no idea?  You had been lied to?  It was still your name on the company letterhead, wasn't it?"

"That's not the point," Stark said through gritted teeth.

"That's exactly the point, Stark," you said, eerily calm knowing you were finally getting to the heart of the matter.

Behind you, Bucky was in shock.  He had finally figured out where you were going with this outburst and he made up his mind to do something about it.  "Steve," he whispered, "Do you know how to get in touch with Director Coulson?"

You, however, missed this exchange as you got ready to put Tony Stark in his place.  "That's exactly the point," you repeated.  "You weren't in control, you had no idea what was actually going on.  But what excuse do you have for that?  I'll tell you – none!  You were too busy being the billionaire playboy to really pay attention what was going on within your own company.  I just can't understand how you can sleep at night with all of blood on your hands when you could've stopped it all by just paying attention.  Yet, you are so quick to judge Barnes for things he truly had no control over.  You weren't tortured, or brainwashed.  You didn't have your mind completely wiped of all of your memories, robbing you of your humanity.  You chose that path all on your own.  You are the worst kind of hypocrite."

Tony stood before you, completely speechless, probably for the first time in his life.  You could see your words sinking in as he finally realized that he was just as guilty as the Winter Soldier, except he had no real excuse for his actions.  

You were completely drained, and a little bit embarrassed.  You had probably just alienated every one of the Avengers, and those weren't the people you wanted as enemies.  For a few minutes, no one said a word, in shock that this had actually taken place.  

The silence was finally broken by Bruce when he asked, "Why are Steve and Bucky talking to Director Coulson in the conference room?"

Everyone turned to look and sure enough, Steve and Bucky were in the conference room talking to a holographic projection of your boss.

You practically sprinted to the conference room, stopping only when you heard Bucky's words.  "Director, I truly think this is a mistake.  Agent (Y/L/N) is extremely talented, but Stark has it in for her and I'm scared she's going to get hurt.  I think it's time to replace her with someone else who can actually defend themselves if I have a setback."


	5. Chapter 5

"What do you think you're doing?" you asked Bucky, completely shocked at the turn of events.

Bucky turned to look at you, "Agent (Y/L/N), I'm sorry.  I hate to do this to you, but most of what Stark said is true, I'm just too dangerous to be trusted alone with you."

Bucky's words sent waves of anger rolling through you.  Instead of addressing him, you turned to the holographic image of Director Coulson and proceeded to have a conversation with him as though no one else was in the room.

"Director, I tried things your way, and you can see where that has gotten us," you told your boss.

"Agent (Y/L/N), I still think we can move forward as planned, this is a minor setback. . ." Coulson began before you interrupted him.

"A minor setback, sir?" you asked incredulously.  "Sargent Barnes is trying to get me fired because he doesn't think I'm capable of taking care of myself.  You know how I felt about your plan when you proposed it.  I still think my approach would have been better, but I conceded to your judgment.  I think it's time you admit that my plan of action is the only thing that can salvage this mission."

The group of people behind you looked around at one another, completely confused by your conversation with the director.

"Agent (Y/L/N), this is not what I had planned.  I had hoped that you could gain Barnes' trust before. . ." Coulson started to say before he was interrupted by Steve.

"What exactly is she supposed to do once she gains Bucky's trust?" Steve asked, his voice edged in anger.

"Captain Rogers, it's not what you're thinking," Coulson tried to explain.

"Sir, please give me permission to move forward with my plan.  This whole situation will resolve itself before the night is over," you said, practically begging the man to agree with you.

"Agent (Y/L/N), I hope you know what you're doing," Coulson replied.

You took that statement as his consent for you to take over the mission on your own.

"Okay, here's how this is going to work," you began to explain.  Pointing at Bucky, you said, "You, meet me in the training facility in 20 minutes."

"What?" Bucky asked.

"You heard me, training facility in 20 minutes," you repeated.  "You and I are going to see just how capable I am of defending myself."

"You're out of your mind, (Y/N)," Bucky told you.

For half of second you allowed yourself to revel in the moment, hearing him say your name for the first time.  You quickly memorized everything about the scene; the look in his eyes, the sound of his voice, the way that his lips moved as he spoke your name.  It was everything you'd hoped for, but now was not the time to act like a school girl with a crush.  You had one opportunity to fix this and hopefully salvage your mission.

"Tell you what, let's raise the stakes.  I'll make you a deal.  If you can land one punch, just one, I'll pack my bags tonight and you'll never have to see me again," you offered, hoping to lull the man into a false sense of security.

"Agent (Y/L/N)," Coulson chimed in, "I really don't think that's a wise move to make."

Turning back to the hologram you asked, "Don't you have any faith in me?"

Not waiting for a reply, you started to walk out of the room, turning at the doorway to address Bucky one last time.  "If you don't show, I'll take that as a sign that you've changed your mind and this subject will never be raised again."

With that said, you began walking back to your room to change into workout gear before heading to the training facility.

Steve turned to Bucky asking, "Are you planning on fighting her?"

"What other choice do I have?" Bucky responded.  "It's not going to be much of a fight, though.  One punch?  It'll be over before it ever starts."

"You know you need to be careful," Steve began, earning him a condescending look from Bucky.

"Steve, I'm not planning on knocking her out with this one," Bucky said holding up his vibranium arm.  "One little love tap with my right arm and then she'll be gone."

Bucky walked out of the door heading to his own room to get changed as well.

 

Twenty minutes later, you stood in the middle of the room stretching while you waited to see if Bucky was going to show.  You hoped he wasn't going to back out.  You'd been waiting for this opportunity for too long and you were itching for a good fight.  The rest of the team, except for Stark, was standing along the far wall quietly talking to one another as they waited to see the events unfold.

Bucky walked into the training facility dressed in sweats and a ribbed tank top, his vibranium arm on full display.  You smiled inwardly, knowing he was trying to intimidate you, but it wasn't working.

"You know we don't have to do this, Agent (Y/L/N)?" Bucky asked as he met you in the middle of the room.

"If we're going to work together, Sargent Barnes, you have got to learn to trust me," you said as you bounced on your toes preparing to start the fight.

"If I can't change your mind, then I guess we'd better get on with it," Bucky said shaking his head.

You didn't want to throw the first punch, so you kept yourself on the balls of your toes while you waited for Bucky to make the first move.

It didn't take long for Bucky to come at you with a weak right cross that you easily dodged.  You stopped short in the middle of the floor muttered an exasperated, "Really?"

Bucky wasn't really trying that hard, but watching you dodge his first punch with so little effort made him a bit wary.  He reminded himself that you were a trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, so you had probably spent a little time training in hand to hand combat before you were assigned a desk job.

The next punch Bucky tried was a short right jab that you, again, dodged.  You were starting to get frustrated.

"Are you kidding me, Barnes?" you asked dubiously, "A blind man could've seen that punch coming a mile away."

At this point, you were dancing circles around Bucky, keeping just out of his reach, trying to force him into making an effort to really hit you.

Bucky was growing tired of the game and decided to take it up a notch.  He waited until he thought you weren't paying attention and tried to hit you again with a right cross.

Dodging yet another punch, you threw your hands in the air.  "Are you even trying?"

This went on for a few more minutes; Bucky half-heartedly trying to hit you and you easily dodging every single punch.  You had yet to go on the offense, waiting for him to truly take you serious before playing your ace in the hole.  You kept taunting Bucky, trying to get a reaction out of him.  

"Are you scared to actually hit a girl?" you questioned him after another pulled punch.  "Or is it that you actually don't want to hit me.  Is that it?  You're actively trying not to hit me because you don't want me to go.  Don't tell me you've developed a crush on me, Barnes" you laughingly said, causing Bucky to go red in the face.

Bucky came at you with a little more force behind his right hook, but he still wasn't able to even graze you.

"You know what, Barnes?" you asked with a tilt of your head.  You were getting pissed the longer this charade went on and just like with Stark earlier, the madder you got, the mouthier you got.  "The longer I stand here, completely untouched, the more I'm convinced that you've never actually been in a fight before.  I think you were just Hydra's prop; they only brought you out of cryo to take credit for the kills because that metal arm looks scarier than it actually is."

A gasp could be heard from the sidelines.  You were pretty sure it was Steve, sensing how close you were to getting the ex-assassin to lose his cool.  You heard Nat quietly ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. to let Stark know that he needed to get to the training room immediately.

Bucky was starting to get angry and you saw this as your moment to pounce.  The next punch that Bucky threw had you taking a step back.  You quickly gained your balance and brought your right leg up for a roundhouse kick to his side.  An audible snap could be heard as one of Bucky's ribs cracked from the impact.  You didn't stop there, though.  You quickly adjusted your balance and crouching down, used your left leg to sweep his feet out from under him.  Bucky hit the mat with a thud, completely in shock that you were able to get the upper hand on him.

"Had enough?" you questioned the man laying at your feet.  Bucky didn't make a move to get up immediately, so you took that a concession.  You turned your back to him and began walking toward the group along the wall when you heard Steve call out, "Bucky, NO!"

The adrenaline coursed through your veins with the realization that you were finally going to do what you'd wanted to do from day one.  You quickly turned around to see Bucky coming at you, leading with his left arm, eyes full of rage.  You calmly lifted your left hand and easily caught his fist before it could make contact.  The man in front of you stared in disbelief, but you were far from finished.  You needed to show him just what you were capable of.  You gripped his hand a little harder and then twisted it around and up behind his back causing some of the mechanisms to crack and hiss.  You then kicked the back of his left leg, causing him to fall to his knees.  You placed your right knee in the small of his back forcing his face into the mat.  

The others had started to run toward the two of you once they saw what Bucky intended to do, but you had him completely subdued before they could move more than a few steps.   They all came to halt a few feet away from you, eyes wide with shock.

You knew you should quit while you were ahead, but you just couldn't help yourself.  Leaning down close to Bucky's ear, you whispered, "Was that as good for you as it was for me?"  You lightly bit his ear and placed a quick kiss to the sensitive spot just under it before you let him go and stood to face the group.

Stark had made it just in time to watch you take down Bucky with ease.  He was standing just inside the door with his arms crossed.  "Coulson, you son of a bitch," he said as he started walking toward you.

Standing your ground, you waited for Stark to walk to you, anger coming off of him in waves.  "Who are you, really, Agent (Y/L/N)?  After that little demonstration, I know you're not just here to fix the Terminator's arm."

"First off, let me hear you call him that again, and you'll end up even more bloody and bruised than you were after Rogers and Barnes kicked your ass in Russia," you seethed.  "Secondly, I plan on explaining everything, but only after I've fixed the damage I've done to Bucky's arm."  

You didn't wait for a reply, but instead turned back toward Bucky, extending an arm to help him back on his feet.  He looked up at you warily, but took your hand as you effortlessly pulled him to his feet.

"You okay coming with me to the lab by yourself?" you asked him with a smirk.

"You won't hear any more arguments from me," Bucky said as he started walking out of the room toward your lab.

You turned to look at the group once more before you followed Bucky.  "I promise there won't be any more secrets, just give me about 30 minutes."

 

Bucky was already in the chair looking straight ahead when you walked into your lab.  You grabbed your work stool and scooted over to him. 

"I just want to say that I'm sorry," you said quietly.  "The things I said. . . I really didn't mean them.  I know that your time as the Winter Soldier still haunts you; I can hear you screaming in your sleep most nights."

"Then why did you say it?" Bucky asked, looking at you for the first time since you came in the room.  His eyes were both angry and sad and it broke your heart.  

"I needed you to lose control, if only for a minute," you explained.  "I needed for you to see that I'm stronger than I look.  I am more than capable of taking you down if the need arises."

"How?" Bucky asked, eyes still full of anger, but at least the kicked puppy look was gone.

You grabbed your tools to begin fixing his arm.  Things would go faster if you explained the situation while you worked.

"I want to say, first and foremost, that I am not here to kill you, for any reason.  My mission is to protect you," you said as you removed one of the metal panels, exposing the wiring beneath.

"Protect me from what?" Bucky asked.

"From yourself," you said, meeting his gaze.  "I know you have 'episodes' where the Soldier takes over again.  My job is to ensure that you don't kill anyone and that no one tries to kill you."

"Why would anyone care if someone killed me while I was the Soldier again?" Bucky questioned.

"Sargent Barnes, don't you realize that you are the world's longest serving POW?" you asked.  "The torture you endured under Hydra is. . .there's no words to describe how heinous those people are.  You are a hero."

"A hero? Do you know how many people I've killed?" Bucky asked, looking at you in shock.

"Yes, I do," you answered, "but I also know that the minute you were able to gain an ounce of self-control, you escaped Hydra and you didn't hurt anyone else until Zemo triggered the Soldier again.  You broke free from them and you've spent the past three years trying to put your life back together.  You even put yourself back into cryo until they could at least nullify the trigger words.  If that's not an example of courage, then I don't know what is."

Bucky took a minute to ponder your words while you continued repairing the damage to his arm.

"Anyway, three years ago, when the attempt on Fury occurred, it confirmed the existence of the Winter Soldier to Coulson.  Once he realized that it was you, he began working on a plan to save you." 

You began to explain that when Steve chose to fall from the helicarrier instead of fighting you, that Coulson believed that Steve couldn't be trusted to do what needed to be done to bring you in.  You told Bucky about Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons, two of the most brilliant minds in the world, and how Coulson asked them to try to recreate Dr. Erskine's original serum.  

You went on to tell him about the rebuilding of S.H.I.E.L.D. after finding out that Hydra had infiltrated them.  About how you and five other candidates went through tests and psych evaluations to ensure your loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D. before you were finally chosen to receive the serum.  You explained the rigorous training you underwent even before the serum was perfected.  

"It wasn't until about a year ago that the serum was completed.  By that time, Rogers had found you and the war over the Accords was well underway.  I was given the serum about the same time you went into cryo in Wakanda, I think.  Coulson knew that Rogers had you hidden somewhere, but he decided that we should wait until you resurfaced before I was introduced in the mix.  The rest of the story, you know," you finished explaining as you put the final plate back in place.

"How many more soldiers are out there like you?"  Bucky asked, speaking for the first time since you began your story.

"I'm the only one," you said.  "After Hydra was discovered in the heart of S.H.I.E.L.D., Coulson and Fury agreed that it would be too dangerous to give the serum to anyone else.  After it was confirmed that I was successfully enhanced, Fitz and Simmons destroyed all of their notes and research."

"Well," Bucky said, thoughtfully, "this changes everything."

 

True to your word, once Bucky's arm was repaired, you and he both went upstairs to find everyone waiting patiently in the conference room.  You gave them the same explanation that you had just given Bucky as they silently listened.

When you finished, you apologized again for not being honest with them from the beginning.

"You were under orders from Director Coulson," Steve said.  "He's the one who needs to be issuing an apology."

"Are we really going to sit here and believe that Coulson and Fury destroyed that formula?"  Stark asked incredulously.  

"Yes," Natasha interjected.  "You didn't see Fury after Hydra tried to have him assassinated.  He's not going to take the chance of someone creating another Winter Soldier to come after him."

"Well, I think we all just need to leave the matter alone," Bruce stated, standing up.  "I'm exhausted, and I know the rest of you are, as well.  We should just go to bed and figure the rest of this out in the morning."

The rest of the team nodded their heads in agreement, starting to rise from their seats.  Stark, however, stayed in his seat, leaned back with his chin resting on him thumb, his index finger tapping  his lips, looking at you with a guarded expression.

"You're not off the hook with me quite yet," he said.  "I'll be keeping a closer eye on you from now on."

"I have nothing to hide anymore," you stated.  "Look all you want."

Stark got up and walked out of the room.  Bruce, Natasha, Wanda, Vision, and Sam turned to follow him out.  Only Steve and Bucky remained.

"So, what does this mean for you?"  Steve asked.

"Well, for starters, I don't have to get up at 0300 hours to make sure you don't catch me bench pressing 300 pounds!" you joked.  "Seriously, though, now that the secret's out, I should really start training with the team."

"What for?" Bucky asked.

"You don't think you're going on missions without me now, do you?" you asked, winking at the pair as you sauntered out of the door toward your room.


	6. Chapter 6

The next few weeks in the facility were some of the best times of your life.  Now that you didn't have a secret hanging over your head, you felt as though a weight had been lifted off of your shoulders.  The team made sure you knew that they weren't going to hold a grudge; you had been under orders and they all knew what that was like.

You were enjoying getting to know everyone, and except for Stark, everyone was nice and welcoming.  You quickly fell into a new routine.  You spent the mornings sparring with various team members in the training room.  Sam had gotten so frustrated trying to keep up with three extremely fast super soldiers that he started running with Nat.  It didn't help that the three of you had teased him relentlessly about how slow he was.  You loved to cook, so you often joined Vision and Wanda in the kitchen preparing dinner for everyone.  Bruce would come by your lab and offer ideas on how to make Bucky's arm more efficient, and sometimes, he would just drop by to chat.

After so long being isolated from the world to keep your secret, you were content in the knowledge that you now had a family.  A family that sometimes drove you nuts, especially when Sam decided to eat your last banana, or when Nat and Wanda forced you into a girl's night complete with mani-pedi's and facials.  All in all, things were going great.  But life likes to throw you a curve when you least expect it. . .

 

The sound of Bucky's screams woke you from your dreams.  You rolled over to glance at the clock – 0324.  You sighed, thinking that he had almost made it through the night.  Bucky's nightmares seemed to be less frequent, but when they did come, they were vicious.  

You decided to go ahead and get up; you'd never be able to fall back asleep now.  You started toward your desk to work on some reports for Director Coulson, when you heard the first thud of something heavy hitting the wall behind your bed.  You turned toward the sound, facing the wall that you and Bucky shared.  

Another thud had you scrambling to the desk to grab the t-shirt and sweatpants you left laying over the back of the chair.  The only side effect of the serum you hated was the increased body temperature.  You hated to be hot when you slept, so you normally went to bed in nothing more than a ribbed tank and your panties, not exactly the attire one wore when visiting a man's bedroom in the middle of the night. . . well, sometimes it was appropriate, but not when you were sure a fight was about to break out.

You slid the t-shirt over your head and carefully pulled the sweatpants on as you ran across the room toward your door.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y.!" you yelled as you ran. "Alert Captain Rogers that he needs to get to Sargent Barnes' room immediately!"

"Agent (Y/L/N)," the AI responded, "Captain Rogers is already aware of the situation and is heading toward Sargent Barnes' room at this moment."

You ran toward Bucky's room, stopping in the doorway to assess the situation.  Steve was already there, slightly crouched with his right arm extended, palm up, toward Bucky.  Bucky was grabbing everything in his reach and throwing it across the room.

"Bucky," Steve said soothingly.  "You need to calm down.  It was just a nightmare, you're fine now.  You're not with Hydra anymore, no one is going to hurt you."

Bucky turned to look toward Steve and you realized that the man staring back at you was not Bucky Barnes.  Those cold, dead eyes belonged to the Winter Soldier.

"Steve," you said ans you cautiously walked toward him, "I don't think he's going to listen to reason this time.  You need to step back, this is what I'm here for."

"Don't hurt him too badly, (Y/N)."  Steve implored. 

"I won't make any promises, Steve," you replied as you walked toward the devil wearing your friend's face.

Bucky lunged at you, swinging his fists wildly.  You quickly dodged the attack and angled yourself behind him, hitting him with a vicious right hook to the left kidney.  Bucky grunted in pain, but recovered, coming back at you with a right hook of his own.  You ducked under his punch, using your new position to hit him right in the solar plexus.  Bucky doubled over and you quickly grabbed him by the hair and brought his head crashing down on your right knee.  Bucky stumbled and fell to the floor on his back.  

"Stand down, Soldier!" you yelled causing Bucky to look at you in confusion.  You realized that Bucky was in full Winter Soldier mode and he wasn't going to understand you speaking English.  

You quickly looked over your shoulder to see most of the team standing at the door watching with panicked looks in their eyes.  You were looking for one person in particular.

"Nat," you said, turning back to Bucky as he started to rise to his feet.  "I need to know how to say 'Stand down, Soldier' in Russian."

"Отбой , солдат," Nat answered quickly.

"Thanks," you replied.

By that time, Bucky was coming back at you again.  You had been worried during your training exercises that Bucky would learn your moves and might use them against you if you ever had to fight him in Winter Soldier mode.  You needn't have worried.  Bucky was too far buried in his own subconscious at the moment to have any effect on the Soldier.  This, however, gave you an advantage.  You knew how he fought, but he had no idea what to expect from you.

Bucky tried to hit you with a left cross, but you were able to lean back away from the punch before he made contact.  His momentum caused him turn away from you and you took advantage of his vulnerability with a swift roundhouse kick to his left side.  Just like your first battle with Bucky, the impact had his ribs cracking under the force of your kick.  You adjusted your balance and used your right leg to sweep his feet out from under him causing him to fall to the floor again.

"Отбой , солдат," you yelled at the man lying prone at your feet.  

Bucky ignored you completely, leaning back on his hands and jumping back to his feet.  You attempted to knock him off balance with a right jab to his face, breaking his nose and causing blood to splatter all of both you and him.

Bucky wiped his bloody nose with the back of his hand, but was still completely unfazed by your attacks.  This time when he came at you leading with his left arm, you reluctantly grabbed his fist in both of your hands and mustering all of your strength, quickly twisted the metal arm around and back behind his back.  The sounds of grinding gears and twisting metal filled the room. 

Unlike Bucky, the Winter Soldier was able to twist his way out of your grasp before you could bring him to his knees.  Recovering quickly, you used the heel of your right foot to kick his left knee sideways, effectively tearing his ACL and bringing the man to his knees in pain.

You grabbed his left arm again, twisting it back behind him, kneeling over him and saying yet again, "Отбой , солдат."

Bucky twisted his head around to look you in the eye before saying, "Иди к черту , сука." (Go to hell, bitch).

You didn't understand the words, but you were able get the gist by his tone of voice alone.  You knew at this point that he was not going to snap out of this, so you did the only thing you could.  You drew your right fist back and brought it down violently against his temple, knocking the man unconscious.  

Bucky fell to the floor, unmoving, as you sat back on floor, completely exhausted both physically and mentally.  This was exactly what you had been trained for.   A few weeks ago, this is what you hoped would eventually happen.  You were so excited to test your newfound strength against the Winter Soldier, but now that you and Bucky were friends, it cut you to the core knowing that you had hurt him.

While you and Bucky were fighting, Dr. Cho had arrived with a wheeled stretcher.  You continued to sit in the floor, dazed, while Steve and Sam lifted Bucky onto the stretcher so the doctor could take him to the med bay to assess his injuries.  Steve and Sam followed Dr. Cho, but the rest of the team quietly went back to their rooms.

You slowly rose to your feet, intending to follow, but Nat came up beside you and gently directed you back toward your room.  Stark stood in the hallway, watching you.  He subtly gave you a nod before he, too, went back to his room.

"Why don't we get you cleaned up before you join the others," Nat said as she guided you to the bathroom.  

She pulled the shower curtain back and turned on the water.  She turned around to find you standing completely still, shock paralyzing you.

"Sweetie," Nat began saying, "We need to get these bloody clothes off of you."

"It's not my blood," you said, finally meeting the other woman's gaze.

"I know, but you really don't want Bucky to see like this, do you?" Nat asked gently.

"No," you said shaking your head.  "You're right.  I need to get it together.  A shower will help."

Nat turned to leave, but you stopped her with a touch to her arm.  

"Thanks," you told her. 

"No problem," she replied, closing the bathroom door behind her as she left.

 

One you had showered and changed, you made your way down to the med bay to find out just how much damage you had inflicted.  Dr. Cho was busy examining x-rays on the lighted panels on the wall opposite the door.  Steve and Sam both rose to their feet as you entered the room.

"Don't sugarcoat it," you told them.  "What are we looking at here?"

Dr. Cho turned around to face you.  "It's better than I had initially thought.  Sargent Barnes only has a bruised kidney, three fractured ribs, a broken nose, a concussion, and a torn ACL.  From what I saw of that fight, I expected more damage."

"How long will it take for him to recover?" you asked as you moved to stand beside the still unconscious man.

"I'm going to have to go in and repair the ACL before I can put him in the Cradle," Dr. Cho responded.  "I have two nurses and an anesthesiologist on a plane from New York as we speak.  They should be here in less than an hour, which will give me time to get Sargent Barnes stabilized and prepped for surgery."

"How long will the surgery take?" Steve asked, reminding you that he and Sam were still in the room, your attention having been focused solely on Bucky.

"It usually takes about an hour to an hour and a half," Dr. Cho answered.

"Would it be possible for me to fix his arm while you perform the surgery?" you asked as you gently ran your fingers over the twisted metal arm.  "I have a set of tools already sterilized, so I would just need to change and scrub in."

"I don't see that being a problem at all," Dr. Cho said after a moment.  "I'll have the nurses set up a barrier sheet so we don't distract one another."

"Excuse me, Dr. Cho," F.R.I.D.A.Y. politely interrupted, "but Captain Rogers and Mr. Wilson are needed in the conference room.  A situation has arisen in the Middle East that warrants the immediate attention of the team."

"(Y/N)," Steve said as he began to exit the room, "I'll stop back by to check on you and Bucky before we leave and to let you know how long we'll be gone."

 

The surgery went smoothly, and you were putting the final metal plate back in place at the same time Dr. Cho was closing up.  Bucky was then placed in the Cradle to finish healing.  Steve and Sam had stopped by briefly to let you know that they had discovered a massive Hydra compound and would probably be gone for about a week to recon the area and take the facility out of commission.

"How long will he be in there?" you asked the doctor.

"With his injuries," she said tilting her head to think, "I would say around twelve to eighteen hours."

You nodded your head and pulled a chair closer to the device.  Exhaustion finally overtook you and you ended up falling asleep, your head and arms resting on the glass separating you from Bucky.


	7. Chapter 7

Bucky awoke confused and disoriented.  Looking up, he couldn't wrap his mind around what he was seeing, you were above him, obviously asleep.  Allowing his eyes to focus, he realized that he was in the Cradle in the med bay.  After a moment, the memories flooded back; the nightmare of being back in the chair, pain coursing through his entire body as they wiped his mind again.  He remembered you and Steve trying to reason with him, but the Soldier had taken over again.  When the memory of the fight came back to him, his eyes darted to you, carefully looking you over to see if you were hurt in any way.  You seemed to be fine, so he lightly tapped the glass under your head to wake you up.

Waking up, your eyes immediately went down, finding Bucky looking up at you, laughing at having caught you sleeping at his bedside.  You scowled down at him before getting up to find Dr. Cho.

"It seems as though most of your injuries have healed, but you will need to take it easy on that leg for a few days.  Between the serum and the Cradle, you will heal faster than most people with a torn ACL, but it'll still take some time," Dr. Cho explained as you helped Bucky to his feet.  "You should probably use this cane until it heals completely."

"Thank you, doctor," you said as you helped Bucky out of the med bay to head back to his room.

"Where is everyone?" Bucky asked, as he limped toward the elevator.

"Some intel came in about a Hydra compound somewhere in the Middle East," you explained, pressing the button for the elevator.  "Steve said they would be gone about a week."

"So, it's just me and you?" Bucky inquired as he entered the elevator and you pressed the button for the top floor.

"Yep," you answered.  "Is that going to be a problem?"

"No," he replied thoughtfully.  "I mean, look at us; I'm barely able to walk, and you don't have a scratch on you.  I honestly think you might be indestructible."

"I wish," you teased as you exited the elevator and started walking down the hallway.  "I was just lucky that the Soldier didn't remember me or how I fought.  That gave me the advantage I needed to take him down quickly.  I'm just sorry that you have to pay the price for that."

"Don't worry about, (Y/N)," Bucky said, stopping to face you.  "I'm lucky that I have you.  I resented Director Coulson at the beginning for sending you, but I feel better knowing that you're here to keep me from causing any more damage."

You didn't know how to reply, so you just smiled and nodded your head.  You helped Bucky make it to his room, but once you opened the door, you realized you had a problem.  The team had left so quickly, no one had had time to clean up Bucky's room for him.  You silently cursed yourself for not taking care of the mess while Bucky was in the Cradle.

"I'm sorry, Barnes," you apologized.  "I should have gotten this cleaned up.  You obviously can't stay here.  You know what?  You'll just stay in my room, it'll be easier for me to take care of you there, anyway."

"(Y/N)," Bucky said turning to look at you, "You don't have to do that, I'm more than capable of. . ."

"Nonsense," you said, guiding him down the hall to your door.  "I feel horrible that you're in this condition because of me, so it's only fair that I play nursemaid for a few days."

You got Bucky settled into your bed and went to the kitchen to get you both something to eat.  You stood in front of the refrigerator staring at the contents for a few minutes, lost in thought.  What had you done?  You had just put Bucky in your bed.  Bucky was going to be sleeping in your sheets, his head resting on your pillows.  You would never be able to sleep in that bed again without imagining him in it, wishing you were there with him.  

You took a deep breath.  What was done, was done.  You'd just have to get over and pray that he would be back on his feet soon.

 

 

When (Y/N) left the room, Bucky took the opportunity to take a good look around.  He'd never had a reason to come in here and he was curious about how you lived.  Everything was neat as a pin, not a thing out of place.  He was certain that the bed would have been made to military standards had you not had to rush into his room the other night.  There were a few photographs scattered around the room of places he assumed you had visited.  There was a book on your nightstand, so he leaned over to grab it.  He read the jacket cover and thought it sounded interesting; he would have to ask to borrow it once you were finished.  Leaning back toward the nightstand to replace the book brought him in close contact with one of your pillows.  Giving in to the temptation, he buried his face in it and inhaled your intoxicating scent.  The next few days were going to be torture.

 

You and Bucky managed to make things work for one night.  You dug an air mattress out of the gear in the training room and made a bed on the floor.  There was no way you would be able to sleep in the same bed as Bucky.  Your feelings for the man could only be kept at bay for so long in close proximity like that.

After a sleepless night, for both of you, you decided that something had to be done.  You racked your brain trying to think of something, anything, that would ease the tension between you two.

"I've got an idea," you told Bucky after cleaning up the breakfast dishes.  "Have you ever seen the Grand Canyon?"

"No," Bucky replied, "but I've always wanted to.  You're not suggesting that we go?"

"That's exactly what I'm thinking," you answered with a sly smile on your face.  "I think it's time for a road trip."

Thirty minutes later, you were helping Bucky off of the elevator, heading to the garage.  

"Do you have a car here?" Bucky asked as you entered the garage full of Stark's most expensive cars.

"Nope," you said with a devious grin.  "We're going to borrow one of Stark's.  I've had my eye on that 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder.  It's not only the most expensive car, but it's also the fastest car in the world."

"Stark is going to kill us," Bucky warned as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"He's got to catch us first!" you laughed as you got behind the wheel reaching for the keys in the consol.

"Do you know how to drive a stick?" Bucky inquired.

"James Buchannan Barnes," you answered incredulously.  "I have a degree from MIT in Mechanical Engineering, of course I can drive a stick shift!"

You fired up the engine, put the car in gear, popping the clutch to make the tires scream as you left thick black streaks on the garage floor, speeding away from the compound.

 

This is exactly what the two of you needed.  The open road, the wind in your hair, and the radio blasting helped ease the stress and worries of the past few days.  Bucky's leg wasn't completely healed, so driving a stick shift was impossible for him.  You weren't complaining at all.  Driving this car was an absolute dream.  

You and Bucky took your time driving across the country, stopping at kitschy tourist traps and greasy roadside diners.  You stopped each night at hotels along the highway.  You tried to get two rooms, but it was the beginning of vacation season and the hotels were busy.  You settled for rooms that at least had two beds.  

The trip out west gave you and Bucky the time to actually talk without training or repairing his arm to distract you.  The more you learned about the man, the more you fell for him.  He was kind, and funny, and dammit, when the wind started to tear the strands of hair from his man-bun, and they got caught in his stubble, it was all you could do not to reach over and tuck them behind his ear.  He had no idea how sexy he was when he looked at you with those beautiful blue eyes, a huge smile on his face.  You did your best not to let him see how he was starting to affect you.  

Little did you know that Bucky was struggling with his feelings just as much as you.  He had thought you were cold and unfeeling when he first met you, but now, he realized how amazing you were.  Your smile was like looking into the sun, and your laugh made his heart swell.  He loved watching the way you handled the sports car; taming the powerful machine as you effortlessly worked the gear shifter and pedals, making the car respond to your every whim.  He knew he was falling, but he couldn't bring himself to try and stop himself.

 

After days of driving, you finally made it to your destination.  You parked the car and you and Bucky headed to the skywalk, neither of you saying a word, just standing beside one another taking it all in.  You decided to get the full experience and since Bucky's leg was completely healed, you hiked down to the river below.  

That night, you and Bucky chose to sleep under the stars.  You rented supplies from one of the local shops and made your way out to an isolated spot.  The two of you lay side by side outside of your tents looking at the stars.

"Which one is your favorite?" you asked.

"I don't know, which one is yours?"  Bucky replies.

"I've always loved Orion," you said, finding the constellation in the sky.

"Which one is that?" Bucky asked, turning toward you.

"I'll show you," you said and you rolled toward Bucky, your left hand resting on his shoulder for balance and your face mere inches from him so you could judge his line of sight.  You pointed up in the sky, showing him the three distinctive stars that made up Orion's Belt.  You then pointed out the other stars that formed the body of the Greek hunter.

Bucky turned toward you, not realizing how close you were to him.  Sensing his movement, you turned you head toward him, your faces only a few millimeters away from one another.  Bucky looked into eyes as you looked into his blue ones.  For a moment, you thought he might kiss you.  You weren't completely sure, but you could have sworn the look he was giving you was one of desire.  You were sure your face was an open book, projecting your every thought to him.  You nervously licked your lips, drawing his eyes down to watch the quick sweep of your tongue.  Bucky bit his bottom lip and made a small sound. 

He started to lean into you, but just then, a coyote began howling in the distance, the both of you jumping away from each other in surprise.  You both started laughing, the moment gone, as you stood up to gather your blanket to make your way your separate tents.

The next morning, you packed up your supplies and returned them to the rental shop before getting back in the car for the return trip home.

You hadn't gone more than 20 miles when the Quinjet suddenly appeared before you on the empty highway.  The plane landed in front of you, causing you to slam on the brakes.  The back cargo door opened to reveal a seriously pissed off Tony Stark.

"I leave you two assholes alone for one minute, and you go off and steal my favorite car!" Tony yelled at the two of you as you struggled not to burst out in laughter.  "I swear, if there is one scratch on my baby, you two will pay!"

Tony jerked open the driver side door and motioned for you to get out.  He got in and drove the car up the cargo ramp into the plane as you and Bucky sprinted up the ramp behind him, not wanting to give him the opportunity to leave you stranded in the desert

Bucky leaned over as the cargo ramp closed and nudged you with his shoulder, a huge smile on his face, "I guess we got caught."


	8. Chapter 8

You and Bucky were still laughing when Stark landed the plane back at the Avengers Compound in upstate New York.  Stark had yelled and cussed the two of you the entire way back, but it was completely worth it; you would never forget all of the fun the two of you had.

You made your way through the compound to your room.  Opening the door, you found Nat stretched out on your bed, reading a report from a manila file folder.  You had gotten over the shock of finding her like this in your room, it seemed to be her favorite place to hide from the rest of the team.

"Have fun?" Nat asked, a sly smirk on her face.

"Yes!" you answered, scooting her legs over to sit on the bed as well. "It was great!"

"How much fun was it, I wonder?" Nat questioned mischievously.

"It wasn't like that, Natasha," you told the other woman causing her to give you a disbelieving look.

Changing the subject, you asked, "What are you reading?"

"New intel has just come in," Nat explained, her eyes back on the report in her hand.  

"Hydra?" you inquired.

"Nope," she replied.  "Would you like me to read it to you?"

"Sure," you said warily, wondering why she would read an intel report to you instead of just letting you read it yourself.

"James Buchannan Barnes was born on March 10, 1917.  James, who preferred to be called, 'Bucky,' met Steve Rogers when they were both children.  Steve was small and often sick, so Bucky took it upon himself to. . ." Nat began reading.

"Where did you get that!" you interrupted.  "Coulson promised me that it was buried so deep no one would ever find it!"

Nat looked at you, tilting her head and raising one eyebrow.  "Seriously, nothing is ever hidden too deep for me to find.  You want to explain this?"

"What's to explain, it was a Social Studies report I wrote in 5th Grade," you said, desperately trying to downplay the situation.

"Hmm, so Coulson knew about your hero-worship for Barnes, and he still chose you for this mission," Nat pondered aloud, closing the folder and placing in on the bed beside her.  

Resigning yourself to the fact that you were going to have to come clean to the nosy redhead, you told her, "It was actually the main reason why I was chosen over the others."

This statement had Nat raising an eyebrow in shock.  "What do you mean?"

"After all of the psych evals, training, and other tests, it came down to one final question," you explained as you wrung your hands together nervously in your lap.  "Coulson asked us, separately, what we would do if the Winter Soldier was unable to be subdued with non-lethal force.  He asked us if we would be willing to kill him."

You looked up to judge Nat's expression before you continued.  Her face was set in that annoyingly neutral expression, so you went on, "I told the Director that there was always another option, and that we shouldn't forget that Barnes was still in there somewhere.  They had given up on him once before, it would be a crime to do so again.  Apparently, out of the six candidates, I was the only one who held that viewpoint."

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" Nat asked, grabbing your hands in hers, a sympathetic look on her face.

"No!" you asserted.  "I've admired him since I was ten years old; I mean it would be ridiculous to have been in love with a dead man.  Now, however, he's just my mission.  I still admire him, who wouldn't with all he's been through?  I just had the unique perspective of seeing that there was more to him that what Hydra created."

"You're in love with him," Nat stating it as fact this time, rising from the bed and walking toward the door.  "You just won't admit it to yourself."  At the look of alarm on your face, she assured you that she would keep this to herself.

Nat paused at the door before leaving, "Did you ever think that maybe, he might feel the same about you?"

Nat closed the door behind her, leaving you alone with your thoughts.  You knew you were gone; you'd known it that night in the Grand Canyon.  He had looked like he wanted to kiss you, but that didn't mean he was in love with you, right?  You fell forward on the bed, burying your face into your pillow, groaning in frustration.

 

Life in the compound settled back into its normal routine.  Nat, however, has started making sly comments and giving you not-so-subtle looks when Bucky would walk into the room.  You were so grateful when Coulson cleared you and Bucky for missions, if only to avoid the awkward tension in the compound.

A few days after your latest team operation, Director Coulson contacted you about a mission he wanted you and Bucky to go on, alone. Coulson had talked to Steve and they had decided it was time to see how well you and Bucky worked together in the field.  The mission was simple, a small Hydra outpost had been located in the Swiss Alps.  Intel suggested that the locations of other Hydra facilities was on a server housed at the outpost.  You and Bucky were to hike to the outpost, download the information from the server and bring the information to S.H.I.E.L.D.  You were in charge of the download, Bucky was there to watch your back while you worked.

"Sounds simple enough," you told the holographic image of Coulson.  "When do we leave?"

"As soon as you and Sargent Barnes can gather your equipment and supplies, I want you in the air," Coulson said as he severed the connection.

"Ok, Barnes," you said, turning to face Bucky.  "I can be ready to go in about 20 minutes.  Meet you at the Quinjet?"

"I'll meet you there," Bucky responded as he walked out of the conference room.

 

Twenty minutes later, you and Bucky were in the Quinjet taking off for Switzerland.  The flight was long, so you took turns sleeping in order to be fully rested for the strenuous hike up the mountain.  Intel suggested that there were only three Hydra operatives guarding the server, so it should be easy to complete the mission and get back to the jet.

Bucky landed the Quinjet at the base of the mountain.  The outpost was located about a ½ mile up and was built into the rock face to hide its location.  The mountain had a fresh six inches of snow cover, so you and Bucky were outfitted in cold weather tactical gear.  It was a fairly easy hike that didn't require rock climbing gear.  The two of you quickly moved through the snow, keeping a lookout for Hydra agents who may be waiting in ambush.

Thirty yards from the entrance, you and Bucky paused to assess the situation.  One guard was outside of the door smoking a cigarette.  You pulled a handheld device from your pack and quickly blocked the signal for the security cameras.  Bucky took aim with his sniper rifle and quickly took him out.  The thick snow helped to mask the sound of his fall.  

You and Bucky sprinted the last few yards, pausing to search the guard for keys.  You continued to the door, each of you stopping on either side of the entrance.  Using hand signals, Bucky outlined his plan.  You were to open the door and he would take out the targets.  Bucky counted off to three on his fingers as you slipped the key into the lock.  You opened the door and Bucky rushed in, gun at the ready.  One guard was sitting at a computer monitor trying to fix the camera feed.  He was dead before he had the chance to turn around.  

You motioned to Bucky that you would start the download while he found the other guard.  You quickly got to work connecting the server to your laptop to transfer the information.  Bucky slowly moved through the room searching for the third guard, making sure to keep you in his sights.  As Bucky rounded the back side of the server, the last guard came through a door, a cup of coffee in his hands.  The look of surprise would be forever etched on his face as Bucky put a bullet in the center of his forehead.

Bucky came back to you to check on your progress.  You informed him that the transfer would be complete in five minutes.  Bucky decided to search the small outpost for any other valuable information while he waited.  

Once the transfer was complete, you installed a virus that would render the server useless in 24 hours, giving you and Bucky enough time to make it back to New York before Hydra knew what hit them.  You packed up your computer and motioned for Bucky that it was time to go.

The hike back down the mountain was more treacherous as a heavy snow began to fall.  You were still cautiously watching for Hydra agents just in case your intel had been incorrect and more operatives were stationed at the outpost.

Finally making it back to the base of the mountain without incident, you were shocked to discover that the Quinjet was missing.  You and Bucky split up to search in either direction in case the snow had caused you to drift off course.  You met back at your original spot, neither of you able to locate the jet.

"I'm going to radio Director Coulson," you said to Bucky.

You turned your comms back on and connected to the Director.  He informed you that new intel had come in that required the immediate use of the jet and since a blizzard was heading your way, they couldn't wait for you to finish your mission.  Stark had operated the jet remotely and you and Bucky were to hike three miles southwest to a small village to wait out the night.  The team would pick you up in the morning.  Coulson had already booked you two rooms at a local inn.

Relaying this information to Bucky, you and he began hiking through the ever-increasing snowfall toward the village.

By the time you made it to the village, a foot of snow had fallen, making the three mile hike seem like ten.  Bucky buried the guns in the snow behind the inn until you could sneak out the back and retrieve once you had checked in.

You approached the grandmotherly lady behind the counter and gave her the aliases Coulson had set up for you.  She then directed your attention to a young couple with two small children who had been stranded in the village due to the sudden storm.  You and Bucky had the last two rooms and she asked if you would be willing to share one in order for the young family to have a place to sleep that night.  

You looked at Bucky, questioningly, and after he looked at the cold, sad children, he nodded his head in agreement.  Taking the keys from the kind old woman, you and Bucky walked up the stairs to the room at the end of the hall.  Walking in, you were greeting with a small room holding one full sized bed.

"I'll take the floor," Bucky said before you could say a word.

"Barnes," you replied. "It's one night and we're both exhausted.  I'll stay on my side, if you stay on yours."

"Ok, but I get the shower first," he said, a grin on his wind burnt face.

"Deal," you agreed.  "But first we need to go get the guns before someone discovers them." 

The two of you snuck down the back set of stairs to the door leading outside.  You stood watch by the door while Bucky retrieved the guns.

Once you were back in the room, Bucky went straight to the shower.  You laid down on the bed and quickly fell asleep.  

You awoke to find Bucky leaning over you shaking your shoulder.  His long dark hair was still wet from the shower and water was dripping down onto your face.  He was dressed in a fluffy white robe that looked much more comfortable than your tactical gear.

"You fell asleep, doll," Bucky said pulling you up to a sitting position.  "Go grab a shower.  There's another robe on the back of the door."

You went into the bathroom to find that Bucky had laid his clothes over the towel bars to dry. . . all of his clothes.  Your face flushed at the thought that Bucky really was wearing nothing but that robe.  You quickly stripped and got into the shower, grateful that Bucky hadn't used all of the hot water. 

Getting out, you realized that your underwear was too wet to put back on, so you were forced to exit the bathroom clad in nothing the but the robe as well.

Bucky was sitting up, his back against the headboard logging his report on his tablet, pausing to look up when the you opened the door.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Much better," you said, not sure what to do at this point.  It seemed awkward to get into bed with Bucky knowing you were both practically naked.  You started walking around the small room, pretending to be interested in the artwork hanging on the walls.

"I don't know about you," Bucky said, interrupting your thoughts, "But I'm about to fall asleep sitting here."

"Yeah," you agreed.  "We'd better get some sleep.  Coulson said the team would be here early to pick us up."

You walked toward the bed as Bucky leaned over to turn off the lamp on the nightstand.  You crawled under the covers turning so your back was to Bucky, and he did the same.  The bed was small, especially considering the size of the man lying beside you.  You tried to keep as much distance between you, but it was next to impossible in the tiny space.  

Neither one of you slept at all that night, uncomfortably aware of the other person sharing the bed.  Throughout the night, you continually talked yourself out of rolling over to give in to your desires.  The ache inside of you grew harder to ignore as the night slowly drug on.  Little did you know, Bucky was struggling to control his own desire.  The morning couldn't come soon enough.


	9. Chapter 9

After your mission in the Alps, you and Bucky were a little awkward around each other.  No one seemed to notice but Nat and she was making your life miserable with her sly innuendos and knowing looks.  You had admitted to her that there were feelings, but you weren't ready to do anything about it yet.  You still weren't sure how Bucky felt.  You also had to think of things in the long term.  If you made a move and he didn't reciprocate, you were both going to be miserable for years.  It was better if you just buried it and focused on your job.

"I still think you should tell him," Nat said for the hundredth time this week as she lay on her left side in your bed, her head propped up on her hand.

"I've told you," you countered, turning to look at her, "I don't think he feels the same way and I don't want things to get awkward.  We're going to be stuck with each other for years to come.  I can live with just being friends."

"I don't think you've thought this through, (Y/N)," Nat cautioned.  "Have you considered what would happen if he did meet someone?  What if he falls in love with her, marries her, has kids with her?  Where does that leave you?  Do you really want to live in his guest bedroom listening to them make love all night long?"

"Natasha!" you cried out before her words truly sank in.  "Oh, I guess I haven't really thought about this.  Well, shit!"

Natasha started laughing as you rolled back over onto your back covering your face with a pillow and letting out a small scream.

"You just need to tell him how you feel," she recommended.  "I really think he feels the same way, but you'll never know if you don't try.  He may have been a ladies man back in the '40s, but now, he's just so unsure of himself, I don't know if he'll make a move unless you give him a reason to."

"Maybe you're right," you replied, lifting the pillow up to look at the other woman.  "I'll think about it."

"Good," Nat said, jumping off the bed and heading toward the door.  "Don't forget, Sam wants us to play Cards Against Humanity this afternoon."

 

You, Bucky, Steve, Nat, and Sam were in the middle of the game when Tony strutted into the common room looking entirely too pleased with himself.

"Ok, kids," he said, clapping his hands for emphasis.  "It's time for some adult fun!  We're heading back to the city in. . ." he paused to look at his watch, "one hour.  Go pack your bags,' cause I'm in the mood for loud music and copious amounts of alcohol."

Everyone looked at one another with big smiles on their faces.  Everyone but you and Bucky.  You met his gaze, silently conferring that you two were definitely not invited.  Sam, Steve, and Nat got up to go pack, while you and Bucky put the game away.

"So," Bucky began, "What do you want to do tonight?  Looks like we're going to have the place to ourselves."

"How about a _Lord of the Rings marathon_?" you asked as you put the game back in the cabinet.  "You finished the book, didn't you?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." Bucky replied.  "Why don't we meet back in here after everyone has left?"

"OK," you answered.  "See you in about an hour."

 

You went downstairs to get the movies of the shelf in your lab when Nat opened the door and walked in.

"(Y/N)," she began, looking confused.  "What are you doing down here?  I went to your room to get your opinion on a dress, why aren't you packing?"

"Come on, Nat," you answered. "You really think Stark is going to invite me and Barnes to go to New York with him?"

"He didn't specifically say you weren't invited," she replied.  "Anyway, Bruce said Pepper called and that's why Tony's in such a good mood.  Take advantage of it and come with us to New York.  His parties are the best and you and Wanda and I never get a chance to dress up and flirt with attractive strangers.  Say you'll come!"

"Let me talk to Barnes," you told her.  "He and I made plans, and I can't leave him here alone."

"Already taken care of," Nat smirked as she grabbed you by the arm, pulling you toward the door. "Steve's helping him pack right now."

 

Stark didn't say anything when you and Bucky boarded the Quinjet.  He did furrow his brow for a moment before shrugging and heading to the cockpit to take off.

Once you landed at Avenger's Tower in the heart of New York City, Nat grabbed you and Wanda and started heading for the elevators.

"Where are we going?" you asked.

"Wanda and I already have dresses," she answered, "But you don't have anything to wear.  I think tonight is the night you need to make a move on Bucky and you need to look fabulous while you do it!"

"Nat," you whispered, glancing at Wanda.

"It's alright, (Y/N)," Wanda said as she patted your shoulder reassuringly.  "No one else suspects a thing, but I pay attention."

 

The next few hours were spent at an expensive boutique trying on dozens of shoes and dresses, looking for the perfect outfit.  After that, Nat insisted that all of you get mani-pedi's and have your hair done.  By the time you were finished, the party had already started, but it was OK, the three of you looked amazing.

By the time you arrived, the penthouse was full of people.  They all stopped and stared as the three of you made your entrance into the room.  

Nat had chosen a form-fitting black dress with no back and a slit up the side almost to her hip.  Her hair was styled in soft waves, loosely pinned up to show off her beautifully sculpted back.  

Wanda was wearing a one-shoulder dress in burgundy that hugged her every curve.  She had chosen to keep her hair down, cascading down her back in loose curls.

You had chosen a halter topped dress with a long full skirt in a deep pewter grey.  To show off the open back of your dress, you had opted for a chic French twist with just a few tendrils of hair escaping to soften the look.

The three of you made your way to the bar, ignoring the attention you had garnered.  Nat ordered three martinis and the three of you turned toward the crowd, leaning your backs against the bar while you waited for the drinks.

Unable to assuage your curiosity any longer, you let your gaze scan the crowd, looking for Bucky.  He wasn't hard to spot.  He had chosen to go black on black for the evening; a black suit, black shirt, and black tie.  His hair was slicked back into that adorable man-bun, but he had opted not to shave, a thin covering of stubble shadowing his jaw.  

You were surprised to see that he wasn't wearing a glove, his metal hand catching the light as he moved.  He must have felt your eyes on him, because he turned and looked straight at you, raising his glass in salute.  You let a small smile turn the corners of your mouth up as Nat got your attention to signal that your drinks were ready.

When you turned back around, he was gone.  You scanned the crowd again, but you couldn't find him.  Just then, Tony grabbed the microphone and began making a speech.  You sipped your drink as you listened to him drunkenly ramble on about how much he loved his friends and Pepper.  Even though you kind of hated the man, you couldn't help but smile listening to him speak so highly of your newfound friends.  He ended his speech and turned toward the band, his hand over the mike so you were unable to hear what he said to them. 

"Here's one for you, Capsicle," he spoke into the microphone as he turned back around.

The band began playing a lively rendition of the Andrew Sisters hit, _Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy_.  Steve grabbed Sharon's arm and led her onto the dance floor.  Vision appeared beside Wanda and asked her to dance.  Nat threw her head back and finished her drink as she winked at you and grabbed a random stranger and dragged him onto the dance floor.

You stood alone at the bar watching your friends enjoy themselves when you felt a presence beside you.  You turned to your right to find Bucky looking down at you with a gleam in his eyes.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, extending his left arm toward you.  

You wove your arm through his, smiling up at him as he led you to the floor.

The tempo was fast, and Bucky knew exactly what he was doing.  He expertly led you around the floor, his feet a flurry of motion.  You had no trouble keeping up with him, and soon you were both breathless, struggling to laugh as you desperately tried to catch your breath.

The band switched gears and began playing Doris Day's love song, _Sentimental Journey_.  Bucky gathered you into his arms, his right hand on your hip, pulling you close to him and his left hand holding your right hand loosely while you let your left lay on his shoulder.  He began to sway to the rhythm, looking down at you.

You looked up to meet his gaze, surprised at the intensity.  His right hand began slowing sliding from your hip to the small of your back, drawing you even closer to him.  You left hand slid around his shoulder to the back of his neck, the desire building within you.  

Bucky's gaze raked over your features, moving from your eyes to your slightly parted lips.  Your tongue darted out to wet your lips which had grown parched from your earlier exertion.  Bucky's eyes made their way back to yours, and you softly inhaled as you saw the naked desire etched into his features.  You pressed your hand to the back of his head drawing him down, desperate to have his mouth on yours.

Before your lips could meet, Stark sidled up to you, effectively ruining the moment.  Bucky turned to glare at him as Tony said, "Can I cut in?"

Not wanting to be rude since he had allowed you to come to the party, you turned to Bucky and whispered a breathless, "thank you," before you untangled yourself and moved into Tony's outstretched arms.  

Bucky got control of his anger and quietly walked to the balcony to get some fresh air and collect his thoughts.

You and Tony began dancing in complete silence; you had no idea what to say to the man.  You wondered why he had cut in, but after a few moments, you gave up trying to uncover his reasons and enjoyed the dance.

When the song was over, Tony looked down and you and remarked, "You look lovely tonight, by the way."

"Thank you," you replied with a smile.  "It's a wonderful party."

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," he said.  "There's a lot of men here tonight that can't keep their eyes off of you.  It might be good for you to mingle a bit, you know, broaden your horizons."

His reasoning for cutting in becoming quite clear, you fixed him with a steely gaze and curtly responded, "I appreciate the advice, but I know exactly what I'm doing."

You turned quickly, leaving him standing on the dance floor by himself as you made your way to the elevator.  You were so angry, you just wanted to get as far away from him as possible, so you made your way to Nat's room.

Natasha cornered Tony as soon as he made his way to the bar.  "Why did you do that Stark?"

"Do what?" Tony asked, signaling the bartender for another drink.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about.  (Y/N) and Bucky were this close," she said holding her thumb and index finger close together in his face.

"I saw," Tony responded, sipping on his drink.  "She's too good for him, Nat.  She and I may not see eye to eye, but that girl has potential and I won't stand by and watch her throw away her life for him."

"Well," Nat snapped, "It's a good thing it's not up to you."  She quickly turned and disappeared into the crowd.


	10. Chapter 10

F.R.I.D.A.Y woke you up entirely too early the next morning, saying that you were needed in the common room for a mission briefing.  You were worried that things would be awkward between you and Bucky after last night.  You dreaded getting up and facing him.  Then you thought about Stark, and you wanted to kill the man.  If he had just kept his nose out of your business, who knows?  Maybe you and Bucky would be waking up together this morning.  You let out a deep breath and got out of bed, resigning yourself to deal with whatever the morning would bring.

You made your way to the common room in the Tower to find most everyone already there.  Steve looked up and smiled at you as you walked into the room.

"Great," he said.  "You're here.  Coulson just contacted Stark about a mission."

"What's the situation?" you inquired.

As you were talking to Steve, Bucky walked into the room.  The two of you made eye contact and he smiled at you.  Not just a grin or a smirk, but a full on, this is the happiest I've been in a while, kind of smile.  You couldn't stop yourself smiling back at him.

Seeing the exchange, Stark decided to speak up, "Sorry, Barnes, I don't think we're going to need you on this one.  (Y/N), I will need you with me to help get the security feed jammed."

"Sorry, Stark" you began, "I won't be going on this mission."

"What are you talking about?" Stark questioned.

"My primary mission is Barnes," you explained.  "I only help you guys out if he goes and you said he's not needed."

Tony was backed into a corner.  He didn't want Bucky on the mission so he could put some distance between you two, but he hadn't really thought this through.  By excluding Bucky from the mission, he was essentially forcing you two to spend more time alone.  You could see that he wanted to change his mind about letting Bucky join the mission, but his pride refused to allow him to admit he was wrong.  With a scowl on his face, he finished the briefing and the team left, leaving you and Bucky alone.

"So, what would you like to do today?" you asked.

"Well, we had planned that _Lord of the Rings_ marathon yesterday," Bucky replied.  

"Great," you said.  "I packed the movies in my bag, just in case."

The two of you spent the remainder of the day watching movies and eating junk food.  Things were a bit tense.  You had hoped he would say something about last night, but other than that smile this morning, he acted as though it had never happened.  Maybe it was for the best.

 

A sound woke you up in the middle of the night.  You rolled over to check the clock; 11:57 pm.  You listened for a few minutes to see if you heard it again, trying to figure out what had woken you up.  You had just about given up and fallen back asleep when you heard it.  It was Bucky.  He must be having a nightmare.  He let out a scream and you jumped from your bed and ran to his room.

Bucky was laying on his back on the bed, the sheets a crumpled mess on the floor, his arms outstretched as though he was being restrained.  You cautiously approached the side of the bed.  Steve normally handled this part, he was the best at grounding Bucky when he awoke.  Since Steve was gone, you were on your own.

You approached the side of the bed, and lightly touched his left shoulder, just above the scar separating flesh from metal.  

"Barnes?" you whispered, as you gently shook him.  "Barnes, you need to wake up, it's only a nightmare."

Bucky's eyes flew open, glassy from sleep and fear.  His metal arm flew up and his fingers wrapped around your throat as he threw you onto the bed.  His fingers were gripped tight around your neck, cutting off the air to your lungs.  You looked up at him with panicked eyes and managed to say his name one more time.

Bucky's eyes cleared and his grip loosened.  Fear was replaced with confusion as he stared down at you.  His gaze drifted from your face to his hand as he started to slide it from around your throat.  The man had just tried to kill you, you should not be turned on at this point, but the way the metal fingers slid along your collarbone had desire shooting straight through you, causing your thighs to involuntarily clench around his knee which had ended up between your legs when he pinned you beneath him.

The movement had Bucky's eyes darting downward.  You could see the confusion on his face deepen as his eyebrows furrowed together.

"You're not wearing any pants, "(Y/N)," Bucky observed.

Your eyes grew wide as realization hit.  You had been so concerned with getting to Bucky that you had forgotten to grab your t-shirt and sweatpants.  You were now laying beneath him wearing nothing but a thin ribbed tank and a pair of lacy Victoria's Secret boyshorts.  

"Pretty," Bucky whispered as he ran the backs of his right fingers along the top edge of the lacy panties causing his knuckles to graze the sensitive skin of your midriff.  You sucked in a breath, clenching your abs, causing Bucky's eyes to shoot back up to yours.  

Bucky looked at you for a few moments while you lay beneath him, your breathing short and choppy from the sensation of his hands on your bare skin.  Bucky finally made a decision and taking both hands, he placed them on either side of your face as he bent over to lightly brush his lips against yours.  

His lips were as light as a feather against yours, and at this point, the need inside of you was too great to settle for such a shy kiss.  You raked your fingers through his hair, gripping his head to bring his lips against yours in a searing kiss.  Bucky gasped in shock, and your tongue quickly swept across his parted lips as you deepened the kiss.

Bucky needed no more encouragement from you, and taking the lead again, he wrapped his arms around your back, his hands gripping your shoulders.  He brought you up to a sitting position, straddling his thighs.  

Your hands went from his hair to the sides of his face and began sliding down his neck toward his shoulders as he continued to ravage your mouth.  When your hand slid over the metal, he flinched, but relaxed again as your hands continued down his broad, muscled chest.  You wanted to map every square inch of his body, both with your hands and your lips.  For now, you settled on exploring what flesh was exposed to you in this position.

Bucky's hands were just as active as yours.  After pulling you closer to him, his hands roamed down your back to your waist, his thumbs lightly brushing under your tank.  Arching into him from the sensation, he slipped his hands under the hem of your tank top and started sliding it up your body.  His hands were light and teasing as his fingers feathered up your ribs.  

His thumbs grazed the undersides of your breasts as your hips pushed closer to him, fitting the hard length of him against your center.  His hands continued drawing the fabric up, forcing your hands to stop their exploration so you could raise your arms to allow him to remove the tank top.  

Bucky's lips left yours long enough for him to gaze upon the newly uncovered flesh.  The need inside of you was becoming hard to control and you brought his mouth back to yours, begging him to finish what he had started.

Bucky laid you back on the mattress, his hands again brushing the lacy top of your panties before sliding around to hook his fingers in the thin material.  He began to slowly draw them down, your hips arching to make his task easier.  As he drew the panties down your legs, his fingers were both scorching hot and icy as he took his time, barely touching the backs of your thighs.  His lips and tongue were also making their way down your torso as he was crawling backward over the bed.  

As he finished drawing the panties down your legs, his fingers skimmed the sensitive soles of your feet causing your thighs to clench in glorious agony.  He arose from the end of the bed, his eyes burning with desire as he gazed upon you splayed so seductively on his bed.  He quickly rid himself of his pajama bottoms and boxer briefs and then it was your turn to feast upon him.  

"Barnes," you whispered, your voice raspy with passion.  "Now.  I need you now."

"Bucky," he said, a sharp edge to his voice.  "My name is Bucky.  Say it."

"Make me," you taunted, a sly smirk on your face.

And he did.  He had you screaming his name so many times that night, you lost count.

 

The next morning, you awoke, lying on your stomach, your hands pillowed under your head.  You felt an odd sensation on your back as you slowly became aware of your surroundings.  You couldn't remember where you were at first, but then the memories came flooding back, bringing a blush to your face.  

You realized after a moment that the sensation you felt on your back, was the fingers of your lover, tracing random shapes along your skin.  You turned your head to look at him, a shy smile upon your face.  Bucky was smiling back at you as well.

"Good morning," he said quietly.

"Yes it is," you responded.

Bucky's smile faded as his brows drew together, an expression you knew meant he was thinking carefully about something serious.

His eyes met yours again as he apparently made up his mind.  "I love you, (Y/N)," he said simply.

Happiness had tears forming in your eyes as you replied, "I love you too, Barnes."

"I thought I told you to call me Bucky," he said, glaring down at you in feigned anger.

"I keep forgetting," you teased.    
"Maybe you need to remind me again."


	11. Choose Your Own Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Bucky are on a mission with the Avengers.  You have some tough choices to make.  Will you make the right choice? 
> 
> I'm going to let you choose how you want the rest of this fic to go.  The directions are pretty simple, at the end of each "scene" you'll be offered a choice.  Simply go to table of contents and choose the option you want and you'll be taken to the next "scene."

The team had barely returned from the last mission when Coulson showed up at the Tower with a new one.  Hydra wasn't going to go quietly in the night.  They had upped their efforts and were now trying to recreate the super soldier serum.  They had kidnapped the two S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists, Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz once they learned that they had been successful in recreating the serum.  

"Why doesn't your team just go in and get them?" Stark asked.

"They want to, trust me," Coulson explained.  "Fitz and Simmons have been taken by one of our former teammates who turned out to be Hydra.  It's got everyone on edge right now.  I don't want to take the chance of this mission going south due to rash behavior."

"Ok, then," Steve began.  "We need to get a visual on that facility so we know what we're up against.  Tony?"

"Already on it," Stark responded as he began tapping the interface on his desk.  

Once he found what he was looking for, he tapped the screen to create a 3D holographic image for everyone to see.  He and Steve began looking for entrances and weak spots in the blueprints.

"There's two entrances, one in the front and one in the back," Steve observed.  "We'll have to wait until we're on the ground to assess the security before we decide which one will be the easiest to access."

"Obviously Vision, Sam, and I will provide the aerial coverage while Nat works on the security system," Stark pointed out.

"I can handle security as well," you added.  "Between me and Nat, we should be able to gain access to both entrances."

"Is your boyfriend going to be joining us then?" Stark asked, sarcasm dripping off his tongue.

"As a matter of fact," you shot back at him.  "Bucky will be going on this mission."

"Oh, it's 'Bucky' now, is it?" he inquired. 

"Stark!  Agent (Y/L/N)!" Coulson yelled.  "You two can argue about your personal issues later.  Right now I have to very close friends possibly being tortured by Hydra.  Can we focus?"

"I'm sorry, Phil," you apologized.  "I know how much they mean to you.  They mean a lot to me as well.  We'll get them back."

Stark called an end to the briefing and ordered everyone to be ready to leave in 20 minutes.  You and Bucky didn't have any tactical gear at the Tower, so you went to borrow something from Nat while Bucky went to see if Steve had something that wasn't red, white, and blue.  

The atmosphere on the jet was tense.  You were too focused on Fitz and Simmons to worry about Stark.  He'd get over it eventually.  Right now, you just wanted to land so you could rescue your friends.

Once Stark landed the jet, you filed out with the rest of the team.  Stark, Sam, and Vision immediately took to the air while the rest of you ran toward the base.  Hydra agents were swarming everywhere and it was all you could do to fight your way toward the facility.

"Which way do you want to go (Y/N)?  Back or front?" Nat yelled as you neared the main building.

 

Go to the Chapter Index and choose either _Front Entrance_ or _Back Entrance_


	12. Front Entrance

You and Bucky chose to take the front entrance.  Sam joined Steve and they followed Nat and Wanda around to the back entrance.  Bucky covered you while you worked on disabling the locking mechanism.

The front entrance opened into a large room filled with at least a dozen Hydra agents, all of whom were waiting on you.  Shots rang out as they started firing on you and Bucky.  He was blocking bullets with his left hand while you stayed behind him.

The agents realized that guns weren't going to work on the Winter Soldier, so they tried to fight the two of you hand to hand.  Some of the agents had circled around, leaving you and Bucky back to back in the middle of the room.  

Two agents rushed you at the same time.  They weren't expecting you to have any special abilities, let alone the super soldier serum.  You punched the first one in the throat as you elbowed the other one in the solar plexus.  They both fell to the ground, gasping for air.

Bucky was busy with three agents of his own.  He used his metal hand to lift one off of the ground by his throat.  Swinging the man around, he threw him at the other two with so much force, the three of them flew into the wall with a sickening thud.

Realizing their mistake in underestimating you the first time, so the remaining agents split up and came at you and Bucky all at once.  For the next few minutes the only sounds that could be heard were those of broken bones and screams of pain.  

Unlike when you were fighting with Bucky during his Winter Soldier episodes, you took no consideration for the injuries you inflicted on these men.  They deserved every broken bone for choosing to work for an evil organization.

Bucky was a sight to behold as he fought off the agents trying to overpower him.  All of his pent up rage and frustrations for the years of torture came spewing forth as he beat the men into bloody pulps.  You were actually a little worried that the Soldier had taken over until your eyes met his.  Despite the rage, you could see the love and concern in his eyes as he checked to make sure you were okay.

You motioned for Bucky to follow you.  "Come on!  There's a door on the far wall."

Bucky followed behind you as you ran to the door.  You stopped and signaled for Bucky to position himself on the wall beside the door.  Bucky opened the door and you quickly looked out into the hallway.  So far it was empty.  Now you had to choose which way to go, left or right.

 

Go to the Chapter Index and choose either _Left_ or _Right_


	13. Back Entrance

You and Bucky chose to circle around to the back entrance.  Sam joined Steve and they followed Nat and Wanda through the front entrance.  You and Bucky stayed close to the building as you made your way to the other side.  Once you had reached the back entrance, Bucky provided cover while you disabled the lock.

The door opened up into a long hallway, empty of agents at the moment.  You and Bucky exchanged a look of disbelief.  Surely Hydra would have been expecting you to breach the facility.  It made you wonder what the other four were facing at the front door.

You led the way, Bucky walking backward, his back against yours in case a threat appeared from behind you.  You both had your rifles up and ready to fire.  You stopped at each door, carefully checking the knobs and listening for voices on the other side.

You had made it past three doors before you came to one that was unlocked.  You met Bucky's eyes, using hand signals to convey your plan.  You were going to go in low while Bucky went in high.  One wordlessly counted to three before turning the knob and throwing the door open.

The door opened up into a file storage room.  There were rows upon rows of file cabinets and two Hydra agents were busy shredding papers.  They must have heard that the Avengers were there and were trying to get rid of incriminating files.

You stood guard at the door, while Bucky quickly incapacitated the two unarmed men.  He quickly flipped through one of the folders laying on the desk.

"Anything interesting," you asked.

"Personnel records," he replied.  "These must be the sleeper agents Hydra had embedded in S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Makes sense," you surmised.  "Hard copy files can't be hacked.  Still stupid to keep records, but Hydra underestimated Nick Fury and his insatiable curiosity."

"We need to keep moving," he said.  "Someone is bound to figure out that we are in this part of the building."

You nodded your head in agreement as you made your way back to the door.  Carefully looking out, you saw that the hallway was still empty.  You and Bucky returned to your positions as you walked down the rest of the hallway.  Finally coming to an intersection, Bucky looked to you for direction.

"Left or right?" he asked.

 

Go to the Chapter Index and choose either _Left_ or _Right_


	14. Left

You decided to go left.  Bucky followed behind you, his rifle aimed at the opposite hallway as you led the way.  There were doors along the walls, so you stopped briefly to check each one before moving on.  You came to a door a few meters down the hallway and tried the knob.

You don't know what was different about that door, but the second you tried turning the knob the power to that entire section of hallway went out.  A few seconds later a shrill alarm sounded and red, flashing emergency lights came on.

"We need to move," you told Bucky as you started running down the hallway.

You had barely made it a few steps before a large metal door started descending from the ceiling.  You turned to head back the way you had come, but another door was coming down faster than the one in front of you.

"We'll be trapped if we don't make it past these doors," Bucky stated.  "We've got to make a run for it!"

You and Bucky were able to make it under the first door, barely even having to duck.  The next door was about 30 meters away and steadily lowering to the floor.  You had never run that fast in your life.

The two of you were able to make it under the second door, but you had to bend over quite a bit to clear it.  At this rate, you weren't sure if you were going to make it to the end of the hallway without getting stuck between two of the doors.

You looked toward the end of the hallway and counted at least five more doors coming down.  That meant you had about 150 meters to go before you reached the end.

"If I can't keep up," you called out to Bucky as you ran.  "You need to go on ahead without me.  Fitz and Simmons are more important than me.  We can't let Hydra get their hands on that formula!"

"And if they capture you?" he asked as the two of you ducked under the third door.  "Won't they be able to reverse engineer the serum from your blood?"

"Stop being so logical!" you yelled.  "I'm trying to be valiant here!"

Bucky laughed at you as you bent over even more to clear the fourth door.  There were still three more doors to go and you were quickly running out of time.

The fifth door was the last one that you were able to get under by ducking.  The sixth door was only about a half of meter from the floor as you came up on it.

"We're going to have to slide under this one," you advised.  "We'll have to time it just right to make sure we can get back on our feet before that last one shuts completely."

You and Bucky hit the tiled floor at the same time, sliding under the door.  You quickly jumped back to your feet and sprinted as fast as you could toward the last door.  It was only about a meter from the ground as you came to it.  

You went to slide under the door, but you misjudged the distance, going into the slide too early.  Bucky looked at you with a panicked expression on his face.  Instead of sliding under the door and saving himself, he skidded to a halt and grabbed the door with his left arm.  You scrambled to your feet as you watched him strain against the mechanisms pushing the door toward the floor.

"Go!" he shouted at you.  "I won't be able to hold it much longer!"

You made your decision quickly and slide under the door.  You grabbed the door from your side and pushed with all of your strength, trying to help Bucky raise it enough for him to get through.  Your muscles were screaming from the strain of the resistance, but between the two of you, you were able to raise it enough for Bucky to slide under.

Once he was clear, you let go and the door slammed to the ground.  Bucky grabbed you and pulled you close to him.

"That was a stupid thing to do," he declared.  "I'm glad you did it."

"Can't leave a man behind, now can I?" you teased.

Letting go of Bucky you looked ahead and saw a single door.  Walking toward it, you noticed the sign posted on the wall.  It was a stairwell.  

"Your call, doll," Bucky said.  "Up or down?"

 

Go to the Chapter Index and choose either _Up_ or _Down_


	15. Right

You motioned for Bucky to go right as you led the way down the hall.  The hallway took a sharp turn about 30 meters down, so you flattened yourself against the wall before peering around the corner.  

A Hydra agent was waiting for you on the other side, grabbing you by the neck and twisting you around the corner.  Bucky was quick to react, coming around the corner and jamming the butt of his rifle against the side of the agents head, knocking him unconscious.  

Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one waiting.  You and Bucky had your hands full with the agents.  You would no sooner subdue one before another was ready to take his place.  Your super strength gave you more stamina than most, but you and Bucky had already faced so much in the short time you had been in the facility.  

That was probably how one of the agents was able to catch you off guard.  He used your own momentum to spin you around and put a knife to your throat.

"I'll kill her," he yelled at Bucky.

Bucky knocked the last agent unconscious before turning toward you.  "Leave one mark on her and you'll beg me to end your life quickly."

The agent was undeterred.  He pulled you closer to him, the knife grazing the skin at your neck.  You tried to think of a way to get out of this situation without dying, but his grip was too tight.  Bucky wouldn't have enough time to draw his gun before the agent slit your throat.  You were at an impasse.

Bucky's mind was going through the same scenarios as you.  He knew he could put a bullet between the man's eyes, but he wasn't sure he'd be quick enough to do it before he sliced you open.  

"What do you want?" Bucky asked.  "You obviously want something or you would have already killed her."

"Why you, of course," the agent sneered.  "We've got the chair ready and waiting for you, Soldier."

"Bucky, no!" you whispered, scared to startle the man with a knife to your throat.

Bucky hesitated for a moment, trying to decide if the man would really let you go if he surrendered.  Deciding that he had no choice, he started to lower his gun to the floor.

A shot rang out as a small hole appeared on the agent's forehead.  His eyes glazed over as he slumped the ground behind you.  You and Bucky both looked to where the shot was fired and saw Nat poking her head out of an air duct.

"You're welcome," she stated.  "Now quit fooling around, we've got to find Fitz and Simmons."

"Thanks, Nat," you said as the redhead disappeared back into the duct work, not making a sound as she and Wanda continued on their way.

Bucky was by your side in an instant.  "I thought I was going to lose you.  I can't lose you, (Y/N)."

You wrapped your arms around him, holding him close, too scared to admit that you thought it was then end as well.  "Nat's right.  We need to stay focused on the mission."

The two of you looked toward the end of the hallway.  There was a single door leading to a stairwell.

"Up or down, doll?" Bucky asked.

 

Go to the Chapter Index and choose either _Up_ or _Down_


	16. Up

The stairwell appeared to be empty, but you weren't taking any chances.  You kept your back flat against the wall as you slowly climbed up the steps, your gun at the ready.  Bucky was right behind you, his gun aimed back the way you had come, keeping watch for threats from below.

Before you could reach the first landing, the door flew open and Hydra agents started pouring through, guns at the ready.  Bullets were bouncing off of the walls and railings as you and Bucky started firing back at them.  

One of the agents tried to knock you down the stairs, but you used her higher position as leverage, flipping her over your head.  The angle of her neck as she landed at the bottom the stairs told you that she wasn't going to be a problem anymore.

Bucky rushed past you grabbing another agent and shoving his head into the wall.  He collapsed at Bucky's feet, but Bucky didn't stop.  He grabbed another agent and flipped him over the railing.  His screams could be heard as he fell to his death.

Another agent tried to punch you, but you easily ducked under his swinging fist.  Taking advantage of your position you punched him in the solar plexus.  The sound of his sternum cracking echoing in the cramped space. 

You stepped over him to face the next agent through the door.  You easily dodged his punch and he was met with a metal fist to his face as Bucky followed behind you.  Not seeing any more agents, you and Bucky went through the door.  Instead of a hallway, this door opened up into a large room full of Hydra agents.

Sam and Steve were in the midst of the fray, battling the agents as they came at them.  Nat and Wanda dropped down out of the vent work.  

Assessing the situation, Nat looked at you and Bucky.  "How to you want to play this?  You want to stay and help the boys, or do you want to go rescue your friends?"

 

Go to the Chapter Index and choose either _Help Sam and Steve_ or _Rescue Fitz and Simmons_


	17. Down

"Down," you replied.  Bucky nodded his head in agreement as you led the way down the stairs.

You kept your back to the wall, gun at the ready.  The stairwell was quiet, but you knew it wouldn't last long.  Bucky was right behind you, his gun pointed up toward the landing in case agents came at you from that direction.

You had made it down a couple of flights of stairs before the door on the landing below you opened.  The agents were shouting at one another as you started firing your weapon at them.  As you were shooting, the door above you opened as well.  You and Bucky were surrounded.

Without talking, you and Bucky nodded at one another, each of you taking a set of agents.  You tossed your gun over your shoulder and grabbed onto the railing.  Flipping over the railing, you used your feet to knock out two of the agents on the stairs below you.  You landed on the stairs and began fighting hand to hand.

One of the agents pulled a knife on you and you barely had time to duck as it came arcing by your face.  You grabbed her arm and twisted it up behind her back.  The pressure had her grip loosening so you grabbed the knife and sank it into her throat.  

Bucky was taking care of the agents above you with no problem.  Every now and then one of them would come flying over the railing, screaming all the way down until they landed with a bone-crunching thud.

You were busy with a handful of agents all coming at you at once.  You used the stolen knife to quickly take out a few.  Bucky had finished with his agents and rushed down to help you.  Seeing the way the fight was going, he pulled open the door and ripped it from its hinges.  

Yelling at you to duck, he sent the door flying at the remaining agents.  The force of the door had them falling like dominoes.  You stopped for a moment to catch your breath, your arm on Bucky's shoulder.  Nodding at him, the two of you continued down to the bottom of the stairwell.  

Reaching the basement, you assumed your positions.  Bucky went high and you went low.  The door opened up into large warehouse type room full of Hydra agents.  Steve and Sam were already there fighting their way through the throng.

Behind you, Nat and Wanda dropped out of the air vents.  You turned around quickly ready to do battle before you realized it was them.

Nat looked at you and Bucky.  "It's your call, (Y/N).  Do you want to stay and help Steve and Sam or do you want to rescue the scientists?"

 

Go to the Chapter Index and choose either _Help Sam and Steve_ or _Rescue Fitz and Simmons_


	18. Help Sam and Steve

You looked at Bucky and you could tell that he wanted to stay and help his friends.  You trusted Nat and Wanda to save your friends.

"You guys go get Fitz and Simmons," you told her.  "Bucky and I will stay here and help Steve and Sam."

"Ok," she said before she and Wanda climbed back into the vents.

"Let's finish this, shall we?" you quipped.

"I'm ready for this to be over, so yeah," he replied.

Steve was using both his shield and his fists to take out the agents.  He was holding his own, but Bucky was quickly running to his side, eager to help his friend.

The room was large enough that Sam was able to use his wings as he fought.  He would grab an agent and fly to the ceiling, dropping him to lay broken and bleeding on the floor.

You started fighting any agent that came your way, using your feet and fists to take them out, one by one.  You lost count of the number of agents you took down.  There were only a few agents left when one came at you with a knife.  You tried to dodge the attack, but exhaustion had slowed your reflexes.  He was able to graze the side of your arm just enough to slice open your sleeve and the skin beneath it.  You could feel the blood oozing down your arm as you rammed the heel of your hand upward toward his nose.  The agent fell at your feet, dead.

Bucky had seen the agent coming at you, but he wasn't quick enough to stop his attack.  He stopped short as he watched you kill the man effortlessly.  He didn't know if he would ever get used to you being as strong as him and Steve.

The rest of the agents were down so Steve and Sam rushed over to check on your injury.  You assured them it was only a scratch and you'd have it looked once you were back at the tower.  You were more concerned with whether or not Nat and Wanda had been able to find Fitz and Simmons.

The four of you headed back toward the stairwell, stepping over dead and unconscious Hydra agents as you made your way back to the main floor.  Back in the hallway, you ran into Nat and Wanda, Fitz and Simmons following closely behind.

"(Y/N)!" Simmons called out as she rushed to embrace you.  "Agent Romanoff told me that you were with them.  Thank you so much for coming to our rescue!"

Fitz grabbed your shoulder and squeezed.  "I've never been happier to see the results of my genius before!"

You laughed at his lame attempt at a joke, happy that they were both safe and seemingly unharmed.  "Let's get out of here, what do you say?"

"Best idea I've heard all day," Simmons replied as the eight of you made your way back outside to the Quinjet.

 

 

Go to the Chapter Index and choose either _PG Ending_ or _PG – 13 Ending_


	19. Rescue Fitz and Simmons

You looked at Bucky and he could tell that you desperately wanted to go save your friends.  "We'll get the hostages, you two help Steve and Sam."

You grabbed Bucky's hand and gave it a squeeze.  He simply smiled at you as he started fighting his way through the crowd to the door on the opposite side of the room.

The other four Avengers tried to give you enough coverage to make it across the room quickly, but there were simply too many agents.  You and Bucky had to stop multiple times to fight your way through the throng.

Eventually you made it to the door.  Not stopping to check the other side, the two of you quickly darted through, slamming the door shut behind you.  Another large room lay before you, this one full of agents as well.  At the other end, you could see Fitz and Simmons tied to chairs, their mouths gagged.  Their eyes lit up with hope as they spotted you across the room.

The agents wasted no time coming at you.  You dodged the first punch, grabbing his outstretched arm and using his momentum to flip him over on his back.  You gave his arm a twist, pulling it from its socket as the man screamed in pain.

Bucky had taken on two agents at once, alternating between punching one and kicking the other.  They were no match for the super soldier.  Another agent tried to come up behind him and catch him off guard, but Bucky simply raised his metal arm and swung backward, crushing the man's nose.

The rest of the agents were fairly easy to take out.  You had gained a new sense of purpose upon seeing your friends and the exhaustion you had previously felt evaporated in a rush of adrenaline.  You had taken out the last agent and were only left with the Hydra scientist cowering behind a table.

The woman seemed scared out of her mind, so you weren't expecting her to suddenly turn vicious and come at you with a scalpel.  You were barely able to move out of the way of the killing strike, the blade slicing open the skin on your arm.  You grabbed the weapon from the woman using your left hand, your right fist coming down on her jaw.  She crumpled at your feet, unconscious.

Bucky had already begun untying Fitz while you dealt with the crazy scientist.  You rushed to Simmons side, pulling the gag from her mouth.

"(Y/N)," she cried.  "I'm so glad Coulson sent you!  I'd always wanted to see you in action.  Granted, not from this exact vantage point."

You shook your head at the quirky girl as you undid the restraints holding down her arms and legs.  Once the two of them were free, they both enveloped you in a hug.  Bucky stood by awkwardly as the three of you enjoyed your reunion.

You let go of your friends as you turned to Bucky.  "We'd better get them out of here before more agents show up."

You and Bucky led them to another stairwell.  Checking to make sure it was empty, you led the way up, Fitz and Simmons right behind you and Bucky bringing up the rear.  Reaching the main floor, you started down the hallway.

At an intersection, you ran into the other four Avengers.  You were all poised for another fight before you realized that none of you were Hydra.  The eight of you continued down the hall toward the exit.

 

 

Go to the Chapter Index and choose either _PG Ending_ or _PG – 13 Ending_


	20. PG Ending

Stark and Vision had been busy taking down the Hydra agents outside of the facility.  The ground was littered with fallen men and women.  You ran toward the Quinjet, making sure that Fitz and Simmons were completely covered.

Once you were on board, Stark and Vision landed at the cargo doors and rushed in.  Stark quickly went to the controls and you were soon in the air heading back to the Tower.

You took the time on the flight back to introduce Fitz and Simmons to the team.  Simmons was completely star struck by Steve and she could barely put two words together, flustered by the handsome man.

Fitz was more interested in Bucky, or more accurately, Bucky's arm.  You had barely introduced the two before Fitz grabbed his arm and began flexing it and poking it to see how the plates slid with each movement.  You looked at Bucky and just shook your head.  

Once you were safely back at the Tower, Coulson thanked you all and led Fitz and Simmons to his helicopter to take them back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

Stark decided that the mission debriefing could wait until tomorrow and that everyone should take care of their injuries and get some rest.  You started toward your room, Bucky following close behind you.

"You're going to let me take a look at that arm, right?" he asked as you trudged down the hallway.

"As long as you don't make me go see Dr. Cho," you countered.

"Is it still bleeding?" he asked as you walked into your room, shutting the door behind him.

"I think it's stopped," you replied.  "The sleeve is stuck to it, so once you pull it free, it's going to start bleeding again."

"We'd better do this in the bathroom then," he suggested as he started toward the door.

You followed him into small room, grabbing the first aid kit from the drawer in the vanity.  "How do you want to do this?  Do you want me to try slipping it over my head, or what?"

"Let's try that first," he suggested as he helped you pull the shirt off.  

The sleeve was stuck to your arm from the dried blood.  Bucky grabbed a washcloth and ran some warm water over it.  Using it to wipe away the dried blood, he carefully pulled the sleeve away from your skin.  The wound opened up again and began oozing blood.

You took the washcloth from Bucky and applied pressure to the wound while he opened the first aid kit looking for antiseptic wipes and butterfly closures.  Once the blood stopped flowing, Bucky cleaned the wound with the alcohol wipes causing you to hiss in pain.  Once he was sure it was clean he applied the butterfly closures to keep it from reopening.

Washing his hands, his eyes met yours in the mirror.  "I never thought I'd find someone I could trust in a fight like I do Steve."

"I know what you mean," you agreed as you put the first aid kit away and took your turn washing your hands.  

"I love you, (Y/N)," he said taking your face in his hands.

You placed your hands over his, bringing his forehead down toward yours.  "I love you, too, Bucky."

You raised your eyes to his as you gently placed a kiss on his lips.  Your hands went around his neck as his lowered to your hips, pulling you closer to him.  

"We definitely need to shower before we continue this," you said breathlessly.

You felt his lips curve up in a smile at your words.  "Why don't we continue this in the shower?"


	21. PG-13 Ending

Stark and Vision provided coverage as you rushed to get Fitz and Simmons safely on the Quinjet.  The few agents left were no match for Wanda as she used her powers to toss them through the air like rag dolls.

Once you had made your way to the jet, Stark and Vision were quick to join you.  Stark rushed to the controls, taking off before any of the remaining agents could stop you.  You helped Fitz and Simmons to seats on one of the benches, checking them over for injuries.

"(Y/N)," Simmons implored.  "We're fine.  They didn't hurt us.  Didn't want to take the chance that we wouldn't be able to make the serum for them."

"Are you sure?" you asked.  "I can't stand the thought of them hurting you."

"Like Simmons said, we're fine," Fitz reassured you.

"I'm more interested in how things are going with you and Sergeant Barnes," Simmons whispered.  "I can see the way he looks at you."

"What can I say, Jemma?" you replied.  "I went and fell in love with him. I think Coulson knew it would happen all along, but it's still really new."

Fitz and Simmons both gave you encouraging smiles as you settled into your own seat, thankful to finally be able to catch your breath.  The three of you caught up on everything that had happened in the past few months as you flew back to the Tower.

Coulson was waiting on the pad when Stark landed the Quinjet.  He thanked all of you before he ushered the two scientists toward his helicopter.  He wanted to get them back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters as quickly as possible.

"Ok, kids," Stark announced.  "I don't know about you, but I'm beat.  I say we call it a night and save the debriefing for tomorrow."

His suggestion was met with murmurs of agreement from everyone.  You and Bucky began walking back toward your room.

"I need to look at the arm, doll," he told you.

"Of course you do," you replied.

You led Bucky into the bathroom, grabbing the first aid kit as you sat on the edge of the sink.  You started to lift your shirt over your head, but without the adrenaline coursing through your veins, every bump and bruise was crying out for your attention.

Bucky saw you struggling and grabbed the hem from your hands.  He carefully pulled the shirt over your head, careful as he pulled the sleeve away from your wound.  He ran some warm water over a washcloth and began wiping away the blood.

Your position on the sink had you eye to eye with Bucky.  The way he bit his lip as he concentrated on cleaning your arm had you thinking of other ways he could be easing your pain.  Your hands grabbed his hips as you brought him closer to you.

"I'm a little busy right now," he scolded as you wiggled your hips, wrapping your legs around his waist.

"You can clean that just as easy in the shower as you can right here," you suggested as left a trail of kisses along his jawline.  "Why don't you get undressed and I'll let you play doctor all you want."

"Inflicting pain on others has an interesting effect on you," Bucky chuckled as he gave in to you, moving away to pull his shirt over his head.

A satisfied smile spread across your face as you hopped down off of the sink to rid yourself of the rest of your clothes.  You turned the shower on, letting the water heat up as Bucky came up behind you, his lips on the back of your neck.

Turning around, you stepped into the tub, pulling him in after you.  He pulled the curtain closed behind him as he pinned you against the wall, his lips finding yours as his hands roamed over your slick skin.

Your hands were just as busy, tracing over the hard muscles of his torso.  Your breath caught in your throat as he gripped your hips, lifting you up to wrap your legs around him.  This was definitely the way to end a mission.


End file.
